


Blue Christmas and New Heroes

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (for the first half anyway), Adoption, Alternate Universe - Demigods, Anal, And Lots of Christmas Fluff too, Bottom!Lance, Bottom!Percy, Chrisse adopt Keith, Explicit Sexual Content, Family Fluff, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Frazeleo adopt Hunk, Jayna adopt Shiro, Kid Fic, M/M, Matie adopt Pidge and Matt, Merry Christmas!, Multi, Nicercy - Freeform, Nicercy adopt Lance, Oral, Paladins as Demigods, Pipabeth adopt Allura, Polyamory, Shounen-ai, Slash, Threesome - M/M/M, Top!Nico, bottom!Keith, daughter of Ceres!Pidge, daughter of Venus!Allura, douple penetration, son of Ares!Keith, son of Athena!Matt, son of Neptune!Lance, son of Pluto!Hunk, son of Zeus!Shiro, top!Keith, top!Shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-11 16:49:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8998900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: Crossover set in the world of "Percy Jackson" (because the Paladins of Voltron each have an element associated with them and what kind of PJatO author would I be if I wouldn't translate those elements into godly parents and demigodly powers?)!Ten years after the Giant War, the Heroes of Olympus are settled into a very calm and peaceful life. They're all adults now, with jobs and houses and spouses. The urge to start a family arises in many of them - and since demigods often turn into orphans, of course there is a demigodly orphanage.Percy really wants a kid. It doesn't take too much to convince Nico once they meet Lance, a cute, wide-eyed four-years-old son of Neptune who is probably the most adorable thing Percy had ever seen.Now watch Lance and his friends grow up as the children of the Heroes of Olympus, until they are old enough to take on their own quest. How will their friendships develop in this world - and how will romance blossom?





	1. Families

ShiKeiLan || PJatO || Nicercy || Blue Christmas and New Heroes || Nicercy || PJatO || ShiKeiLan

Title: Blue Christmas and New Heroes – The Adopted Next Generation

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus | Voltron: Legendary Defender

Disclaimer: All rights to the Voltron remake reserved to DreamWorks, Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos, and to the original to Toei Animation. Percy Jackson reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. All rights concerning Percy Jackson reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, threesome, fluff, adoption, Christmas fluff, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, double penetration, shoujo-ai, hetero

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy & Shiro/Keith/Lance

Side Pairings: Piper/Annabeth, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jason/Reyna, Chris/Clarisse, Malcolm/Katie, Tyson/Ella, Paul/Sally

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Malcolm Cage, Katie Gardner, Chris Rodriguez, Clarisse la Rue, Tyson, Ella, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis, Mrs. O'Leary, Small Bob, Blackjack, Arion, Tempest

Voltron Characters: Lance (Neptune), Keith (Ares/Vulcan), Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane (Zeus), Katie 'Pidge' Holt (Ceres), Matthew Holt (Athena), Hunk (Pluto), Allura (Venus), Coran

Own Character: George the Goldfish

Summary: The Giant War had ended ten years ago and the Heroes of Olympus moved on, started their own lives very slowly. New demigods are born and the old heroes decide to adopt some of their orphaned half-siblings. Nico and Percy adopt Lance, the very adorable little son of Neptune.

They love Lance, raise him right and in his teens, see Lance off to his first big quest with who are considered the new Seven. Lance? He's really excited to go on a quest with all his best friends – and with the two boys he secretly had been crushing on for years now.

**Blue Christmas and New Heroes**

_The Adopted Next Generation_

_Part 1: Families_

The Giant War had taken its toll on New Rome. The half-destroyed city was what took the longest to rebuild. Only that they didn't just _rebuild_ it, they improved it. Enlarged it. A bigger city, more houses and apartments, more space for more demigods – for it was no longer New Rome. They renamed it New Olympus, one city for all of them, Romans and Greeks alike.

Because living at a summer camp was not a permanent solution for children; should have never been. And separating Romans and Greeks? Yeah, that had worked _so well_ so far. No, they needed to stop thinking of each other as separate groups. They were one united front.

That sentiment had cemented over the past ten years. Demigods lived in New Olympus, trained in Camp Jupiter during the school year and then left for Camp Half-Blood in the summer – so it truly was a summer-camp. A place to look forward to to spend some time with friends and away from the adults. Chiron and Dionysus were grateful for that too; they finally had a thing called free time.

Annabeth Chase was the current mayor of New Olympus and no one could really argue that; she was doing a splendid job. She also loved her job. After having spend years designing the additions to New Olympus, she was now proud to lead the city she had helped build.

And Annabeth was not the only one from her generation who had grown up and moved on. They all had, really. Had gone to college, got married, got jobs. Responsible, semi-normal adults instead of heroes who never thought they'd live to see their adult-life unfold.

When Percy had gone missing between the wars, when Jason, Leo and Piper had appeared at camp, Annabeth had found comfort in Piper. Comfort that, over the Giant War, had turned into love. Years ago, the two young women had gotten married and moved in together.

After the Giant War, Jason and Reyna _finally_ managed to sit down together and talk things out. Their relationship was one that had never found the time to happen, but with peace upon them, they finally gave dating a chance – especially now that Jason's fake girlfriend was dating another girl.

While Hazel and Frank had started dating during the Giant War, they only truly felt complete as Leo returned from the dead, so to speak. He had freed Calypso and she had taken Festus to travel the world. But Leo? Ever since his mother had died, Leo had _craved_ a place to call home. He finally had that and losing it again was a painful thought. For a girl he had known only a couple weeks, at that? No. During their short time together, it had already been clear that they were not a good match; she was bossy, even nasty if she was in a mood, while Leo had the kind of personality to put her into said mood. Leo left to return to his friends, where the most enthusiastic ones to greet him were Frank and Hazel. Having attended Leo's funeral, thinking him dead, it had put things into perspective and now that they got a second chance – they didn't waste it. Over the past ten years, the threesome had settled into a comfortable and healthy relationship.

And then there were Percy and Nico.

For nearly two years, all Percy focused on was helping. Helping with the rebuilding on Camp Half-Blood and New Rome/New Olympus and Mount Olympus. It was shortly after his graduation two years after the war that he actually moved to New Olympus. He started partaking in PTSD group meetings, tried to both help others and himself. Due to the fact that most his friends were paired up like this was Noah's Arc, Percy ended up rooming with Nico. It was out of necessity at first. Percy couldn't afford living on his own and Nico son of the god of wealth had gotten a _house_ from daddy dearest. At least that absent godly parents made up for it with valuables. Nico had offered Percy to move in with him and Percy had happily agreed – because the thought of taking an apartment and moving in with a demigod he didn't know was absolutely terrifying.

Their friendship grew deeper and they grew closer, until about half a year into moving together, Nico's annoying blondes – also known as Will and Jason – had bugged him into _finally_ confessing to Percy. And as they say, the rest is history. Five years ago, the two had gotten married.

"Mister di Angelo, you look ravishable", whispered Nico, voice dark.

Percy grinned amused, baring his neck to Nico. "That's not a word, dork. But it was the intention."

It was their fifth anniversary and Percy had meant to surprise his lover by awaiting him naked and sprawled out on their large, comfortable bed. Nico stared at him with dark eyes as he climbed onto said bed and came to lean over Percy, hands on either side of his husband's head.

"Happy anniversary, amore", whispered Nico and sealed Percy's lips with a kiss.

"Likewise, Doctor di Angelo", hummed Percy pleased, wrapping his arms around Nico's neck.

While Percy had opened a dojo with Clarisse and Malcolm, Nico had trained to become a doctor. Percy really loved how hot Nico looked in his scrubs. But Percy loved it even more to see him out of said scrubs. Grabbing the offending piece of clothes, Percy pulled them off. Nico eagerly helped until both of them were naked. Percy grinned mischievously as he offered his lover the bottle of lube. Kissing Percy deeply, Nico slowly lubed his fingers up and traced them teasingly slow down Percy's torso, making Percy arch into the touch. A happy, pleased smile spread over Nico's lips, hidden against Percy's neck. He loved how responsive his husband was, loved that he could still excite Percy like that even after being married for five years. Not that five years was particularly long; Nico planned on 'forever', actually. Still, it amazed him that even after all those years, he _still_ felt like that sixteen-years-old who would stare wide-eyed and in amazement at Percy because Percy was _finally_ his. The beautiful thing? Percy felt the same way. Percy was still amazed that he had this happiness and this husband who adored him.

"Naughty thing", whispered Nico accusingly as he easily slipped two fingers into a lubed-up, loose hole. "Has someone been having fun without me, amore?"

"What can I say. I've gotten off from work hours before you and after I pre-cooked dinner, I kinda got bored", drawled Percy mischievously, running his hands down Nico's arms.

Nico grunted amused, hands grasping Percy's thighs to spread them properly. Percy groaned softly as his husband's hardness slowly eased into him. His nails scratched along Nico's arms, making the son of Hades groan too. Their lips found each other as they kissed passionately and deeply while Nico started thrusting shallowly to get them both used to it. One of Nico's hands slipped from Percy's thighs down to cup his husband's perky ass, squeezing it tightly and making Percy moan. Nico's thrusts picked up in pace, growing harder and sharper. Percy's moans grew louder and more wanton at that, arching his back every time Nico hit his prostate.

"You're as gorgeous as you were on our wedding night", whispered Nico, biting one of Percy's nibbles to make him whimper. "And just as responsive and delicious. Can you come for me, babe?"

Percy mewled as Nico wrapped his free hand around Percy's cock and started jerking him off. Percy gasped strangled as he came into his lover's hand, muscles contracting around Nico. Nico changed his angle, thrusting even deeper to draw out the feeling of Percy's orgasm until he came deep inside his lover, filling Percy up and making the son of Poseidon moan once more. Nico collapsed next to Percy, pulling his husband up against himself. Percy hummed contently as he snuggled up to Nico.

"Happy anniversary, best husband on the planet", whispered Percy and kissed Nico's collarbone.

"Liar", grunted Nico, nose buried in Percy's hair. "Because _you_ are the best husband on the planet. And _that_ was the best present on the planet."

"That wasn't a present; it was just sex", pointed Percy out and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Sex with the most beautiful guy ever", hummed Nico pleased. "With the love of my life. The best present I could possibly want, amore. Now I feel bad for not getting you anything."

They had agreed on this years ago; no competing with Valentines' or anniversary presents. Shared dinner and sex being the only things they did for each other. Percy carefully adjusted to lay with his head on Nico's shoulder, Nico's arm folded so he could run his fingers through Percy's hair.

"Well... I would know something... that I'd want _a lot_ and... well... maybe...", drawled Percy out.

"Yeah?", asked Nico, perking up cautiously because it was _very_ rare for Percy to ask for something.

"Annie dropped by the dojo today", started Percy slowly. "And... And she said, well... The satyrs, they came back from their last rounds. From that orphanage where they suspected some demigods to be. There were a son of Pluto _and_ a son of Neptune in that orphanage. She came by because... When they found Shiro two years ago, giving him into Jason's care was the ideal solution. Children of the Big Three are very powerful. It's better if they're raised by someone who understands their power and can give them guidance. So, well, Annabeth thought that maybe you and I could... meet the kids and... see? Maybe... it'll click. I mean, we haven't talked about this in a while, but..."

Nico silenced Percy by kissing him gently. They had talked about this before, back when Jason and Reyna had adopted Takashi Shirogane. Two years ago, a cute little half-Japanese son of Zeus had been brought to New Olympus. After a lot of talking, Jason and Reyna had agreed to foster him, to give him some guidance. They soon fell head over heels in love with the timid, well-mannered little boy and decided to fully adopt him. That was how their generation had began starting their own families. Honestly, most of them hadn't really given it much thought before – because life for a demigod was already hard and for them to have children, they were essentially dooming their own kids to the same kind of fate, some even worse because they might end up with both their parents' powers. Or the by now former heroes simply didn't feel ready just yet. About a year later, Chris and Clarisse had adopted a grumpy, adorable son of Ares named Keith. He was commonly referred to as mini Nico because the boy resembled Nico a lot in attitude and even looks. The thing was that Keith was a very special little boy; he was a son of Ares but he was also a legacy of Vulcan, as they had realized a few months ago because Keith had started fire-bending. Ever since, Leo kept stealing Clarisse's boy. Not that Clarisse minded; no young, exhausted, working mother would mind having a reliable babysitter. The thing was, ever since Clarisse – Percy's business-partner – had adopted Keith, Percy regularly saw the little boy when the babysitter couldn't make it and Chris would drop Keith off at the dojo. Percy adored the cutie and the more time he spent with Keith, the more he wanted a child of his own. Only that Nico and Percy couldn't have children of their own; not together. So adopting one seemed far fairer for Percy than having a surrogate.

"Okay", nodded Nico slowly, causing Percy's head to snap up. "What? We talked about it casually two years ago and agreed that we want to adopt, but that we weren't ready. It's been two years. And meeting the boys won't hurt, will it? Sure, let's spend our anniversary at an orphanage."

Percy smiled brightly and leaned up to kiss Nico deeply and feverishly. Within minutes were both of them dressed and Nico found himself dragged out of the house. Okay so the son of Hades had thought they'd first finish with the cuddles and eat the dinner that was just waiting to be reheated. But apparently having a child was something _very_ important to Percy right now. Nico guessed it had been for a while but Percy never dared to speak up about it. By the time they reached the city's demigod orphanage, they were not the only couple visiting. The director of the orphanage – Coran – smiled at them and led them to the waiting room where their friends were already sitting.

"What are you doing here?", asked Percy surprised, staring at his best friend.

Annabeth smiled and hugged him. "Well, I successfully raised _one_ son of Poseidon, I figured... Piper and I, we thought... maybe we could try, if neither of you would want."

"Hey. I take offense to that", huffed Percy, hitting her shoulder playfully.

"Well, we're here too", pointed Leo out.

Nico looked up to see Leo, Frank and Hazel enter the room too. He blinked slowly. Sure. Pluto. Annabeth had also told Hazel. The threesome didn't have kids themselves because Hazel was a daughter of death; barren. He saw it in her eyes when the siblings looked at each other before hugging. She wanted a child, saw this as a chance. The fact that Leo regularly stole Keith and brought him home probably didn't help the situation. Nico smiled gently as he kissed her forehead.

"Let's go and meet the children", offered Coran as he led the way to the common room.

"...Really?", asked Nico pointedly as he saw Malcolm Cage and Katie Gardner.

Malcolm grinned and shrugged. When Clarisse and Percy had opened their dojo, the son of Athena had joined as their accountant, while his by now wife had followed her Demeter-nature to open a flower shop. Katie smiled and went to hug Piper briefly while Malcolm approached them.

"What? I was there too when Annie came visiting. And sure, a kid of the Big Three is... a lot of responsibility, but it just reminded me of what Katie and I had been talking about for a while."

"Yes, they were already getting acquainted with the children", confirmed Coran as he knelt down in front of the children Katie and Malcolm had been talking to. "May I introduce? Those are Lance and Hunk. Boys, these nice people would like to meet you. Can you say hello?"

Leo made a high-pitched sound when he saw the chubby-cheeked son of Pluto named Hunk. The boy wiggled his nose as he looked up at the adults, a yellow car-toy in his hand. The other child was carefully hiding behind Hunk, peeking out from behind his friend's shoulder. Coran sighed.

"Maybe... that's a bit too much. Would you mind waiting?", asked Coran.

Malcolm, Katie, Annabeth and Piper obediently stepped away again. Percy couldn't. He tried, but when he looked into Lance's large, azure-blue eyes, he just couldn't. The tiny Latino looked afraid, but also curious and inquisitive. He also looked simply adorable. So while Leo was busy kneeling in front of Hunk and asking the boy about his toy-car, Percy sat down behind them and smiled at Lance. Lance was about three or four, if Percy had to guess. For a long moment, Percy blanked. What was he supposed to say to a frightened, curious child? But his husband helped.

"Hello, Lance", greeted Nico softly. "I'm Nico and this is my husband Percy. We hear you're a very special boy, mh? Sh, no, don't be afraid. That's nothing bad. My husband here, he's special too."

Nico carefully took the bottle Lance was holding and for a moment, Lance looked _very_ upset, but thankfully enough Percy had caught on with what his husband was up to. Smiling reassuringly at Lance, Percy lifted his hands and raised the water out of the bottle. Lance gasped, eyes wide as he watched how the blob of water slowly started wobbling in the air.

"What's your favorite animal, Lance?", asked Percy gently.

"Lions! They make rawr and sing pretty!", exclaimed Lance excitedly.

Laughing softly – and making a mental note to dust off his _Lion King_ DVD – Percy used his powers to form the water into a lion. He made the water-lion pose for Lance and jump around. Lance started giggling, cheeks red as he clapped excitedly. Percy was officially in love in a way he had never been in love before. He turned to look pleadingly at Nico and the son of Hades could just chuckle. When he looked at Lance, he saw _so much_ of Percy in the boy; only smaller, younger, more vulnerable. Quite obviously did every instinct Nico had call for him to protect the mini Percy. Was that what fatherly instincts were...? The urge to protect a little one because the child reminded them of their beloved spouse? Nico didn't know; he just knew he had never felt that way. His eyes briefly flittered over to his young half-brother, but it seemed as though Hunk was already taken.

The little boy was sitting on Hazel's lap, listening in awe as Leo told him about the flying ship he had built while Hazel was quite clearly drawing parallels between Hunk and Frank, which made Frank blush. Or maybe it made Frank blush to see Hazel and Leo with the young child, because Nico could relate – there was something amazing about seeing the one you love with a child.

So while Percy, Nico, Hazel, Frank and Leo were busy adoring the two young sons of the Big Three, their friends were standing and leaning against a wall, with various levels of boredom. Well, not all of them. Piper tilted her head curiously as she spotted a young native American girl. She bit her lips. The stories from her grandpa Thomas had been so vital in her youth; part of her wanted to pass on her heritage. Also, the little girl had stark-white hair. Tugging on Annabeth's sleeve, Piper led her wife over to the young girl. She smiled as she saw the pink triangles the little girl had painted under her eyes and the general attempt at make-up. It looked cute.

"Hello, sweetie", smiled Piper gently as she knelt down. "I'm Piper. That's my wife Annabeth."

"Hello", piped the little girl back. "I'm Allura. I'm a daughter of Venus. Uncle Coran says that's important, but I dunno why. Mom didn't want me so now I'm here so why is _she_ important...?"

"Because...", started Piper and blanked. "Well, you're right, I guess. Then you don't have to say it."

Allura nodded pleased. "Hello, I'm Allura. I'm the daughter of Alfor. He was a really-really great dad. But now he's... gone. And I'm alone, because mom doesn't want me."

Annabeth made a bit of a heartbroken sound as she crouched down in front of the child too. "I really like your hair. It looks very pretty, Allura."

"Thank you!", chimed Allura with a smile. "I watched cartoons – X-Men – and saw Storm and Storm is really-really awesome and she has white hair and I wanted white hair too to be as awesome and suddenly my hair turned all white!"

Piper grinned at that and tilted her head. "That's because you're a child of Venus. See, even though our mother doesn't... have the time to take us in and raise us, she gave us powers."

"Us?", echoed Allura with a curious frown.

"I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. That's Venus' Greek side", explained Piper with a smile.

Allura looked really fascinated by that, making Annabeth smile. "How old are you, darling?"

"I'm ten!", replied Allura, looking a bit upset. "I'm already really old. Everyone wants to adopt the tiny ones like Lance. The others say if no one adopts me until I'm 13, I'll _never_ get out of here..."

Annabeth's eyebrows knitted as she turned sad eyes on her wife. She still remembered what it felt like to be a young child and feel unwanted or unloved. Piper smiled softly at Allura as she brushed the white hair out of the girl's face and looked at her gently. They had to talk to Coran.

From not too far off, Malcolm was watching his older sister. He knew Annabeth and Piper had contemplated adopted for a while now but they had always pushed it off. May it be because of new architectural projects or then because Annabeth had just become mayor. It seemed timing didn't matter much once they met the right child. If he was being honest, he wasn't even quite sure why he was here. Him and Katie, they had started talking about children a few weeks ago. But legacies could be risky and Malcolm knew from experience how many orphaned demigods there were. Just because they now at least had a proper orphanage and a foster system was still no replacement for parents. When Annabeth had come over this morning, something in Malcolm stirred and figured that perhaps they could or should visit the orphanage. It wouldn't hurt, would it?

"Why is your friends talkin' to Lance and Hunk...?", piped a small demanding voice.

Malcolm blinked slowly and turned to look at the source of the voice. In front of them stood two children, one about first-grader-age, the other _very_ tiny. Both had sandy-blonde hair and hazel eyes.

"Because our friends are thinking about adopting them", replied Katie amused, sitting down.

"That's not okay", huffed the younger child, arms crossed with a pout. "They're my friends!"

"Ah. Well, but it wouldn't mean you'd never see them again", supplied Katie. "And... who are you?"

"I'm Katie! That's Mattie! He's my big brother!", exclaimed the little girl excitedly.

"Matthew Holt, son of Athena", grunted the taller boy, eying them suspiciously.

"So you two are children of Athena, mh?", asked Malcolm curiously, sitting down next to his wife.

"Nu-uh!", objected the tiny Katie, long sandy-blonde pigtails whipping around. "I'm a daughter of Cewes! I do plants and Mattie does books! But we have the same dad!"

"Ceres?", echoed Katie Gardner surprised before laughing. "Well, that's interesting. My name is Katie too and I'm a daughter of Demeter – that's the Greek Ceres, you know. And my husband Malcolm here, he's a son of Athena too."

"...That's confusing", frowned the little girl. "If you is Katie and I'm Katie too."

The older Katie frowned too and nodded. "You're right. That is confusing. May I give you a nickname then perhaps? Something that fits you. Like... mh... little dove?"

"Nu-uh!", objected the younger Katie wildly, shaking her head. "Doves are silly! All they do is look pwetty and bowing! Pidges are _way_ betterer! They can be all colors!"

"Pidges?", echoed Katie Gardner confused.

"Katie has problems with some words", huffed Matt. "She can't say 'pigeon', so she always says 'pidge'. But it's okay, she's only two. She doesn't have to know everything."

Malcolm's eyebrows went to visit his hairline. Two? A child of two with such a vocabulary and a already rather good grip on grammar? For not being a child of Athena, little Katie sure was bright.

"Pidge", echoed the older Katie thoughtful before turning to the girl. "How about that? Pidge?"

The child gasped wide-eyed and nodded widely. "Pidges are great!"

"Like you", grinned Katie and started tickling the newly nicknamed Pidge.

"Did you teach her how to speak so fluently?", asked Malcolm curiously, looking at Matt.

"Uhu. I taught her everything. Dad died a year ago and it's only been Katie and me since then", replied Matt. "Katie is all I have. They... They wanted to adopt her before, but... she always misbehaves so no one takes her away from me. I... don't wanna lose her, but I also don't want her to be stuck here with me if she could have a real family."

Malcolm took one look at the two Katies, still laughing and giggling with each other, before he looked back at Matt. "And how would you like to stay with us? Both of you?"

/break\

Deciding to adopt a child and actually getting to take said child home were two vastly different things, of course. There was a whole process to go through first. They needed to sign a lot of documents, there was a inspection of their home – which meant to first of all child-proof said home and prepare a room for Lance. As it turned out, Lance's favorite color was blue, so Percy could just go wild on the boy's bedroom, much to Nico's amusement. Ever since Clarisse, Malcolm and Percy had put the dojo together themselves, Nico hadn't seen Percy that invested in something and diving in with so much gusto. It was nice to see Percy so enthusiastic and with such sparkling eyes.

During that weeks-long process, Percy visited Lance every single day. And every day, it got a little harder to leave again – to leave the boy again. Coran had stopped Percy a total of eight times from sneaking Lance out of the orphanage and Percy was _that_ short of being banned from coming over by the time everything was finally settled and the papers finally went through.

Percy was actually glad that their vacation this summer had been canceled on short notice because that way, he now had two weeks to take off from work to spend with Lance; it just didn't sit right with him not to spend that important first phase with the boy as he settled into their house and family. Percy wanted to be there for Lance, 24/7, just in case and to make sure. And honestly, Percy was so looking forward to this. They had also agreed with their friends and family to keep them away from Lance for now – right now, Lance needed to settle in with Percy and Nico before being overwhelmed and coddled by _everyone_. The fact aside some of their friends were currently also going through the adoption-process themselves and wanted to focus on their own children.

"Do you know what day it is today, Lance?", asked Percy with a bright smile.

He crouched down in front of the boy, excitement dripping from every one of his words. Nico smiled fondly as he watched them. Oh, he had visited Lance a lot too, not as often as Percy, but still. Nico had grown incredibly fond of his little mini Percy. Lance looked up at Percy with wide, azure-blue eyes. The boy slowly shook his head, eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"Today is the day you are coming home with us, bambino", stated Nico gently.

"Really?", asked Lance with a gasp, eyes widening. "I—I thought you changes your mind because you never take me home with you! You always only visit!"

"We had to finish your bedroom and everything, sweetheart", clarified Percy softly. "Now, do you wanna go home with us so we can show you your new, awesome bedroom?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!", chanted Lance, now as excited as Percy.

The little boy tackled Percy and clung onto his legs. Laughing, Percy leaned down to pick Lance up and carry him out of the orphanage and into his new life. Nico watched fondly how Percy and Lance spent the entire way rambling excitedly. Those two? Were a match made in Olympus.

"Oh. Oh, the house is all pretty-blue", gasped Lance, clapping excitedly.

"It is, right?", grinned Percy proudly. "Nico did that for me. And now you'll _always_ easily find home, because home is the pretty-blue one among all the boring white ones."

Lance made a high-pitched, happy sound and from the looks of it, not because of the color, but because of the fact that Percy had referred to it as Lance's home. Nico couldn't tell which son of the Sea God was more excited as Percy dashed through the house with Lance on his hand, showing him everything – spacious living room, modern kitchen, training room basement, guest bathroom and then upstairs to where the bedrooms, another bathroom and the office-space. The room they had turned into Lance's used to be a guest-room/storage-room. It was the last room Percy was showing Lance, grinning broadly as he opened the door for the small child.

"And this is going to be your room", stated Percy ceremoniously.

Lance gasped again, a theme with him today, his eyes insanely wide as he looked around, running from one corner to the other. The room was pretty basic; a desk, a chair, a closet, a long shelf for Lance's belongings and a bed. Granted, the bed was the centerpiece here, because it was shaped like a spaceship, all in white-blue. What Percy and Nico had learned in the past weeks was that Lance really loved the stars and spaceships. Over the bed, glow-in-the-dark stars were glued to the ceiling in the formation of the lion star-sign. A couple children's books were put in the shelf, as well as some stuffed animals and toy-cars. It wasn't much, but it was at least something.

"Do you like it, Lance?", asked Nico with a small amused smile as he watched.

Lance was giggling where he was jumping up and down on the bed. "Yes, yes, yes! It's _perfect_!"

Percy smiled gently as he leaned against Nico's side, his husband laying an arm around his waist. "Then we're glad, sweetheart. But if there's something you want to change, just say so, okay?"

"No! It's perfect! Thank you!", yelped Lance as he collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Percy heaved a clearly relieved sigh as he went to sit next to the bed, arms crossed on the mattress and chin on top of it so he could watch the boy being adorable. "I took the next three weeks off from work. That means I'll be staying with you all day. I'll show you all the awesome spots in New Olympus and go to the park with you. I'll cook everything I know for you so we can figure out what you like and what you don't like. And we can cuddle up on the couch and watch cartoons and animated movies, I kind of made a bit of a list. Does that sound fun, sweetheart?"

"That sounds awesome! Thank you, Percy", agreed Lance with a bright smile.

Percy paused for a short moment, contemplating his next words carefully. "If you... want to, you could call me dad and Nico papà. You don't _have_ to, sweetheart. If that's too soon, you can keep calling us by our names, but I just... want you to know that we adopted you, that we consider you our son and that we'd be _very_ honored if you'd come to see us as your fathers."

Lance was sitting up and looking at Percy while he talked, until he basically launched himself at Percy, hugging him really tightly and throwing him off balance. "I always wanted a dad! A—And now I have _two_! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Percy had definitely tears prickling in the corners of his eyes as he returned the hug tightly before he looked over at his husband pointedly. "Get in on this, Nico."

Snorting amused, Nico obeyed and sat down next to them, carefully laying his arms around both sons of the sea. Lance reached out so he could have one arm wrapped around each of their necks, clinging onto them for dear life. Something inside Nico warmed in a way it hadn't since he had found Hazel. That warmth of having a _family_. Having his beloved husband was one thing, but now? With their overly enthusiastic and excitable little boy, they were a real family.

/break\

"It's perfect, I tell you", declared Percy pointedly while preparing breakfast.

Nico was helping him, making virtually everything they could picture as breakfast-food because they wanted to know that Lance liked best. The boy was still deep asleep. The past weekend had been pretty exhausting and exciting for the child. Nico, sadly enough, had to go to work. But he couldn't wait to see his boys again in the evening. The Italian gave Percy a dubious look.

"Cartoons. I do not want my son to sit in front of the TV all day", stated Nico gravely.

"I didn't say _all day_ ", huffed Percy and rolled his eyes. "But watching cartoon has never hurt a child before, Nico. Besides, I'm not talking about _any_ cartoon – I'm talking about Last Airbender here! It's perfect. Katara is the perfect role-model for a water-bender and maybe Lance will subconsciously pick up some of the lessons about control and such concerning his powers."

Nico rolled his eyes, knowing it was a lost battle. Perhaps he was a bit old-fashioned, considering he grew up in the 20s and sitting their kid in front of the TV was kind of not a thing back then. But Percy had forced him through an Avatar binge before and he had to admit that the show was pretty good. The whole element-controlling plot was also really well transferred to a son of Neptune.

"Very well", chuckled Nico as he leaned in to kiss Percy's cheek. "See you tonight."

"Have fun at work! I love you", chimed Percy with a bright grin.

Nico headed upstairs before he left – to kiss Lance goodbye. The boy stirred when lips were pressed against his cheek. He giggled and placed a sloppy kiss on Nico's cheek too, clinging onto him for a little and insisting that Nico should stay. Sadly, that was not an option, but Nico easily distracted the child with the promise of breakfast downstairs and daddy spending all day with him. By the time Lance dashed downstairs, Percy had already put up a large buffet in the kitchen.

"Morning, sweetheart", greeted Percy with a grin. "Hungry?"

"Morning, daddy!", exclaimed Lance and hugged Percy tightly. "What are we gonna do today?"

"Well, since the weather is so bad, I thought we'd watch cartoons", suggested Percy.

The two of them ate and joked together, Percy telling Lance about the kindergarten where he'd start in two weeks. He also reassured the child that his best friend Hunk would also be there, which was a huge relief for Lance. After breakfast – and with enough left-overs to last them the rest of the day – Percy and Lance went to the living room to curl together on the couch and watch _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. It had been Percy's favorite cartoon growing up and it wasn't _that_ old – fifteen years, okay, but the animations and more importantly the story still held up.

"You okay, kiddo?", asked Percy softly when he noticed Lance jumping every now and again. "Is it too scary? If you don't like it, we can watch whatever you want, sweetheart."

"Nu-uh, it's cool!", replied Lance before he jumped again. "B—But the storm is _scary_."

Percy blinked in realization. Lance jumped every time thunder rumbled in the sky. Smiling gently, Percy pried Lance off himself and sat him down on the couch before grabbing a pillow.

"I know exactly what helps against storms. My mom and I used to build pillow-forts to hide in when there was a big, bad storm. Do you want to build one with me, Lance?", asked Percy.

Lance's eyes widened in excitement and he nodded wildly before grabbing a large pillow himself. Within ten minutes did the duo build the perfect pillow-fort, covered with one of the large blankets from one of the couches, the front open so they could still see the TV. Before they crawled in, Percy took Lance by the hand and led him to the kitchen where he made them both nice hot chocolates.

"Do you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate?", asked Percy with a grin.

The grin widened at the scandalized look on Lance's face. How dare Percy would even _ask_ such a silly question? Smiling gently, Percy gave them the finishing touch with a handful of marshmallows before he carried them back to the living room and into their fort, where Lance eagerly crawled into his lap and Percy pulled the second blanket around the both of them. Lance visibly relaxed – between the safety of Percy, the blanket and the pillow-fort and the comfort of the hot chocolate. For the next two hours did the two of them not leave their pillow-fort.

/break\

Nico smiled proudly as he watched through the window how Lance and Hunk played in the garden. Lance had been with them for a solid month now and the boy seemed really content. What made Nico so proud was that the two boys were currently playing with the di Angelo pets – Small Bob and Mrs. O'Leary. He had been doubtful at first, fearing that Lance would be afraid of the giant hellhound and the skeleton cat. But the boy thought they were awesome and he especially loved the kitten, even if it was a 'broken kitten'. Nico loved that _his_ son wasn't afraid of the creatures of the underworld but rather thought of them as cool. Percy chuckled knowingly as he leaned against Nico's back and kissed his neck. Nico huffed at that and reached back to swat Percy's flank.

"Shut up. I get to be proud of the boy too. That he got so much in common with you is obvious because you're both sea brats", muttered Nico defensively before turning around and pulling Percy into a gentle kiss. "We should gather the boys or we'll run late for dinner."

"And no one wants to be late for Christmas", grinned Percy excitedly.

He sneaked out of his husband's embrace to fetch Lance and Hunk. The two boys were nearly as excited as Percy was. Nico rolled his eyes fondly as he pulled the four of them close to shadow-travel them to their destination. The Blofis-household for Christmas dinner. Percy was so overly excited because he couldn't wait for Tyson, Sally and Paul to meet Lance – they hadn't wanted to overwhelm the boy so for the first month, it had mainly been just Lance, Percy and Nico, with the occasional visit from Hazel, Frank and Leo with Hunk considering that Lance and Hunk had bonded in the orphanage already. Hazel, Frank and Leo had gone ahead to New York – they had pleaded with Nico for some couple-time so Nico had agreed to take Hunk for an hour before dinner.

By the time they exited the shadows, everyone was already gathered.

Sally and Leo were pacing in front of the large, blue-decorated Christmas tree, while Tyson, Paul and Frank were setting up the table and Hazel and Ella sat on the couch talking and eating cookies. The moment the four of them exited the shadows, all movement stopped and all attention was on them. The first one to move was Hunk, letting go of Lance's hand to run into Leo's arms.

"Papá!", exclaimed the four-years-old excitedly, colliding face-first with Leo's stomach.

"Hey there, mi hijo", grinned Leo pleased, wrapping his arms around Hunk. "You okay, cariño?"

"Uhu", nodded Hunk, staring up at Leo endearingly. "I played with Lance and his pets! Can I have a hellhound too, papá? Please? Oh! Or can we build a dog, like aunt Reyna's? Can we? Can we?"

"Who's them people, daddy?", whispered Lance, tugging on Percy's sleeve nervously.

While Frank and Hazel had gone to join Leo and Hunk, everyone else was right now surrounding Lance, making the boy a bit uncomfortable. He tried to hide behind Nico while clinging onto Percy. Percy smiled gently as he knelt down next to his son, patting his hair soothingly.

"This is my mom and this is my step-dad", introduced Percy slowly, pointing at Sally and Paul. "And this is my brother Tyson and his wife Ella – they're your uncle and aunt, honey."

Lance frowned thoughtful as he carefully peeked out from behind Nico's legs, making the Italian smile genuinely happy. Not because his son was frightened, hell no, but because Lance thought Nico was safe to hide behind in case of danger. After all, Nico knew there was absolutely no danger anywhere close, so Nico was allowed to be happy and amused. Very carefully and slowly did Lance step out from behind Nico, eyes trained on the pretty, kind-looking woman with the identical smile of his new dad. She didn't look dangerous and if she was Percy's mom, she couldn't be, right?

"H—Hello, I'm Lance di Angelo", said the little boy bravely, enjoying the way his new name rolled off his tongue laced with pride and happiness. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for having me."

"Hello, Lance. I'm very happy to meet you", smiled Sally gently.

"If you're daddy's mom, that... means you're my new grandma, right?", asked Lance curiously.

Sally looked very happy at that – they hadn't wanted to overwhelm the boy, but if he made that conclusion himself, then Sally would gladly embrace it. "Yes, yes I am. And that's your grandpa."

That actually made Lance gasp excitedly and bypass Sally to stare up at Paul. "I never had a grandpa before! Mommy said that he died long before I was born!"

Paul looked a bit flustered by the boy's enthusiasm. "Well, I hope I'll do a good job as grandpa."

Percy laughed a little bit, but that was about as long as Tyson could hold back. Lance yelped as he was lifted into the air and whirled around by the excited cyclops. Ella tilted her head in a bird-like manner as she observed the tiny human. Lance giggled as she tickled him with her feathers.

"I always wanted to be an uncle! We're going to have lots of fun!", exclaimed Tyson.

For the next ten, twenty minutes, Lance and Hunk were being handed around and cooed at, which after initial nervousness, both boys gladly soaked up. Frank, Hazel and Leo had no family to speak of and out of them all, Hazel was the one with the closest relationship to her half-brother. So when Percy and Nico, as well as Tyson and Ella, had been invited over for Christmas, Nico had asked if Hazel and her family could also come. That had been many, many years ago and it had been tradition since then. And now that they had their sons, this tradition seemed even nicer. Thankfully both Hunk and Lance were very open and affectionate children, so within dinner, they had both opened up to the new people in their lives, especially considering how much they were being showered in adoration and love by the adults that tried to make them feel welcomed. By the time they decided it was time to hand out presents, Ella was happily decorating the boys' hair with her sparkling-red feathers. Next to blue, red was Lance's favorite color, so he looked very happy.

"Now, who wants presents?", asked Paul amused, looking at the children.

"Me, me, me!", chorused Lance, Hunk, Leo, Percy and Tyson, to no one's surprise.

Tyson had made toy-ships for both of the children and they _adored_ them, which meant Tyson easily took the spot of favorite uncle right now, something that made the cyclops very proud. Ella had hand-picked a children's book for each of the boys – for Hunk one about a dragon and for Lance one about a little merboy. Ella also got roped into reading them to the children later on, something that pleased the harpy immensely. Sally and Paul had gone a little overboard on their trip to Toys'R'Us, but then again they never had grandchildren to gift something to. It wasn't _that_ much, but still maybe a little over the top. Percy and Leo were grinning broadly as they stepped aside to reveal the two largest presents though – one for Lance and one for Hunk. Both boys instantly tore through the paper, revealing two giant, fluffy plush lions that were nearly as tall as the boys themselves. Hunk's was yellow-orange and Lance's was a beautiful azure-blue. Hunk hugged his happily while Lance buried himself between the lion's paws, smiling brightly up at the adults. As it turned out, Hunk's favorite animal was also a lion – as Percy and Leo had discovered over hot chocolate one afternoon, which had led them to these presents.

"You like them?", asked Hazel with a fond smile.

"She's all soft and pretty", smiled Hunk happily, nuzzling the extra-soft fur.

"You know what you'll call her?", asked Percy as he sat down next to Lance.

"I'll call her Azul!", exclaimed Lance, hugging the lion and Percy close.

"Azul? That means blue", stated Leo curiously and a bit amused. "You speak Spanish, Lance?"

"Yes! Mommy and abuela always spoke it!", nodded Lance with a bright smile.

Hunk frowned and looked from Lance to the newly named blue lion Azul. "Then mine's Melemele, because that means yellow in my mom's language!"

"Those are some very beautiful names, boys", praised Sally fondly.

Percy heaved a relieved sigh as he leaned back against Nico. First Christmas had gone without a hitch. Lance liked the family, had liked the food and liked his presents. Nico hugged him gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to all my readers! ^o^  
> Though, of course, this is being posted too early, but due to the fact that you get to open your presents in the evening, I kinda can't post in the evening for you to open this present - because I will be in the middle of opening presents at that time >3
> 
> So, this is a three-parter story, one chapter for each day of Christmas. Next, we will have Lance and the others settling into their new homes and families - and Keith and Shiro will make their first appearances ;3


	2. Friends

_Part 2: Friends_

It was between Christmas and New Year's that Percy and Lance had finally finished _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Granted, they had also been watching some other cartoons in between and spent a lot of time building snowmen and snow-bending – to the point that Nico had to carry them both inside because they refused to leave the garden. And then Nico had to make them hot chocolate to make them stop pouting. Most of the time, they spent the hot chocolate drinking being cuddled up to Nico from either side and watching the new _Danny Phantom_ remake that had been made a year ago. All three enjoyed those quiet evenings curled together like that. And Percy and Lance loved their time together while Nico was at work too – building a fort to watch cartoons in had become a thing between the two of them and Mrs. O'Leary would curl up next to it to protect it.

"So, how did you like it?", whispered Percy, nose buried in Lance's hair.

Lance was sitting in Percy's lap, hugging Azul tight to his chest and having his nose buried in her blue fur in a similar manner. "I liked it a lot! But there should be _more_! I wanted more Zuko, because Zuko was fun! I like fire-benders, it's _awesome_."

"And... who did you like the most?", asked Percy curiously, smiling fondly.

After all, he had started watching this show with Lance in the hopes that he might pick Katara as a role-model; she was everything Percy wasn't. She was diligent, thought things through, wasn't impulsive. She was kind of what Percy guessed Annabeth would be like if she was a daughter of Poseidon. And considering just how important control was when it came to elemental powers, he _really_ hoped his son had learned a thing or two; if only subconsciously.

"Sokka!", exclaimed Lance excitedly, turning to look at his daddy. "Sokka is _the_ bravest hero!"

Percy frowned a bit confused. He had to admit, Sokka was his favorite too, because Sokka was fun. But among all those strong heroes, he wouldn't exactly have picked him to be the bravest hero.

"How come, sweetheart?", asked Percy curiously while caressing Lance's hair.

"His sister can water-bend and Toph can _both_ earth-bend and metal-bend and Zuko can fire-bend and Aang can bend e—everything, but Sokka can't! He can't bend anything and he's not a good fighter, but he's still fighting and trying to do good", explained Lance, gesturing with his hands. "He could like totally easily hide in the Fire Nation because he can't bend and doesn't need to hide any bending, but he doesn't. He helps. And that's real brave."

Percy blinked slowly before he smiled gently and kissed Lance's cheek. Not the role-model he had hoped for, but the way Lance described it? His boy had a good moral-compass. And he had chosen a good role-model with good reasons. Percy smiled proudly at his son.

/break\

Percy shifted a little as he sat on a kitchen-hair in the Zhang-household. He was over here more often than ever before since they adopted their sons. After all, Lance and Hunk had already been best friends in the orphanage. His eyes drifted over to Lance and Hunk in the living room, both boys sitting on the floor and playing loudly. Leo rounded the corner with hot chocolate.

"Here you go, Perce", grinned the Latino as he sat down next to his friend. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Wrong?", echoed Percy and blinked doe-eyed. "What makes you-"

"Cut the bull, _di Angelo_ ", huffed Leo and rolled his eyes. "You've been shifting around ever since you and precious little Lance came over an hour ago. So, what's wrong?"

"Well, you know you're my second favorite Latino, right?", drawled Percy slowly.

Leo wanted to protest, but then he saw Percy's eyes fixated on Lance. "Okay. I accept defeat. Yes?"

"Ever since he named his stuffed lion Azul, I've been... thinking. Could you, maybe do me a favor or two...?", drawled Percy with a frown. "Due to the constantly changing orphanages and foster families, he has... nothing left of his mortal family. Spanish is the only thing he has. But... neither me nor Nico speak Spanish, so I was wondering if maybe, when you babysit Lance, if you could... talk to him, in Spanish? Because I know learning a language is easy at that age, but... forgetting it when you don't use it is even easier. And I don't want for him to forget it, Leo."

"Of course I can", whispered Leo surprised, blinking a bit before grinning. "It could be like our secret language and would _guarantee_ me my spot as favorite uncle! So, what's the other favor?"

"...Can you teach me Spanish?", asked Percy hopefully. "I know I'm not the most diligent student and all, but I want to know. I mean, thank you that you want to speak Spanish with him, I'm really grateful, but... I don't want to cut myself out of that part of Lance's life, you know? It's the last thing he has from his mortal family and _I_ want to share that with him. I want him to know that I care."

Leo gasped and hugged Percy in a suffocating manner. "You're amazing, Perce."

"Uh, okay?", mumbled Percy embarrassed, returning the hug.

"Sorry", laughed Leo sheepishly and let go. "It's just... I wish I would have been taken in by someone like you after my mom died. Lance is a lucky boy."

Percy blushed at the praise and smiled as he turned to look at his son. "I think I'm the lucky one."

/break\

Leo was in the middle of making lunch for Hunk when the door bell rang. He frowned confused, unsure who it could be. Percy, maybe? After he had agreed to teach Percy Spanish a week ago, the son of Poseidon had been over nearly every day. He was _very_ eager to learn, which was kind of adorable. But when Leo opened the door, he found someone a little unexpected.

"Hello, uncle Leo! I need your help!"

Leo blinked slowly and stared down at the wide-eyed, nine-years-old Shiro. Takashi Shirogane, the adopted son of Jason and Reyna. The child that had started it all, really. The one that had made them all realize how much they also wanted a family. Next to Shiro stood his adopted dad and Jason looked both troubled and sheepish at once. Leo raised both eyebrows at them.

"Sure thing, darling. What can uncle Leo do for you?", asked Leo with a smile.

"His arm malfunctioned", sighed Jason, one hand resting on top of Shiro's head.

"Oh. Sure. Come inside. I'll have a look. There's cookies in the kitchen", offered Leo.

Within seconds did Shiro find his way to the kitchen and had his hand in the cookie-jar. Now that Leo knew what to look for, he saw that the prosthetic hand was balled awkwardly. The poor little boy had lost both his mortal mother and his arm in an accident. After Jason and Reyna had adopted him, Leo had started tinkering with prosthetics. Something he had never done before, but hey, there was a first time for everything. Ever since, he had been upgrading the arm and fine-tuning it. Once it worked, he had also started other prosthetics – in their line of work, as heroes, it was easy to lose a limb. State of the art prosthetics were the least the heroes deserved, really.

"I was playing with Keith when the arm started acting weird", stated Shiro softly, looking down at his cookie. "I was really-really afraid I might hurt Keith. But he's fine! Mom brought him home."

"That's good, sweetie", nodded Leo relieved. "Now, uncle Leo is going to repair your arm. It'll just be a bit. You, stay here and eat more cookies, okay?"

Shiro nodded obediently as he watched Leo take off the arm and walk away with it. Shiro hated being without the arm. It was already bad enough with the arm, because the other kids stared at him, but without the arm, he felt like a freak. He didn't like feeling like a freak. His dad sat down next to him and wrapped a comforting arm around Shiro's shoulders, pulling him close. Electric-blue eyes stared down at him gently and the smile on his dad's lips tugged on the scar. It had taken Shiro a couple months to get adjusted to Reyna and Jason, but by now they were his mom and dad. She taught him hand-to-hand-combat and Shiro admired her leadership-qualities that she always showed off in the dojo, where Shiro loved to listen in and watch. He startled a little as someone else popped up beside him and stole a cookie for himself. A short brunette boy with bright blue eyes.

"Hello", chimed the younger boy. "I'm Lance di Angelo! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Shiro blinked a bit overwhelmed by the excitedly smiling boy in front of him, so he turned to look at his dad for advise. Jason just smiled and ruffled Shiro's hair before he grinned at Lance.

"So _you_ 're Lance? Your papà told me a lot about you", smiled Jason. "I'm Jason and that's my son Shiro. What are you doing here? Are your mom and papà here too?"

"Daddy doesn't like when others call him mom", stated Lance with a serious frown. "Don't mock my daddy. He's the bestest. And what did papà tell you about me?"

Another little boy sneaked up behind Lance, broad grin in place as he saw Shiro. "Shiro! Hello!"

"Hello, Hunk", greeted Shiro a bit more comfortably.

He had already met Hunk a couple times and even though the younger boy was still someone new who Shiro wasn't totally used to, Shiro was still relatively comfortable around him because Hunk was Leo's son so he must be okay. This new kid he had never met before though...

"What happened to your arm?", asked the blue-eyed boy confused as he saw Shiro's missing arm.

Shiro physically flinched away and leaned against Jason to hide a little. Jason frowned concerned and pulled his boy closer in a protective way, watching Lance with soft eyes.

"Shiro was in a bad, bad accident", explained Jason gently. "And he lost his arm."

Lance frowned confused and tilted his head. "Does it hurt? How do you hold stuff?"

Shiro was a little taken aback. Normally, most freaked out a little, but Lance just looked genuinely curious and worried. "It doesn't hurt anymore. And I can hold stuff because uncle Leo made me a new arm. But the arm is broke and now uncle Leo went to fix it."

Lance looked confused for another long moment, before he nodded in understanding. "Like Bucky."

Shiro blinked and nodded after a moment. "Yeah. Like Bucky."

"That's cool", nodded Lance and stole another cookie. "Do you wanna play with us?"

Shiro looked doubtful for another moment, searching for his dad's eyes and nod of approval. "Go ahead. Leo will take a while anyway, you know him."

Carefully, Shiro nodded and then followed Lance and Hunk into the other room.

/break\

Keith Rodriguez – which he liked saying like that because it was the last name of the parents who had _chosen_ him – was annoyed. He was actually pouting, but he wouldn't call it that, because Keith did not pout. He sat with his arms crossed, watching with distrust how those new kids were piling up on _his_ Shiro. It had started small, with the new kid at uncle Frank's place. Hunk. But they didn't hang out. Not until that blue-eyed annoyance moved in with uncle Percy.

Lance di Angelo.

 _He_ was the start of the downfall, really. He pushed. Lance was friends with Hunk and Pidge and apparently, Lance had decided that he adored Shiro and thus trailed after Shiro like a lost little duckling. With Lance came Hunk and Pidge, so Shiro now had three annoying little ducklings trailing after him and Keith didn't get to have Shiro to himself and it was unfair and then there were the others too, because Shiro also made _friends_. Allura Chase and Matthew Holt.

"You're _real_ good."

Keith blinked as he turned toward a little Latino with impossibly wide azure-blue eyes. In his irritation, Keith had taken his wooden sword and gone through the latest routine that his mom had taught him. He always trained when he was upset or angry; mom said that it was better than eating his feelings. And dad said that it was better than randomly punching people (but mom disagreed with that and Keith was a bit doubtful too; punching people _definitely_ helped).

"I—I know", huffed Keith with a glare, unsure how to handle the compliment.

"I wanna be as good!", declared Lance determined and went to grab a wooden sword of his own

Keith blinked and watched how Lance tried to copy what Keith had done. There was a certain natural flow to his movements, but that figured considering Lance was a son of Neptune. But regardless of how fluid his movements were, they would be completely ineffective and useless.

"You suck", stated Keith casually before he walked away.

Honestly, he expected the blue-eyed boy to start crying or something, but instead Lance huffed undignified and squeaked. "I—I'll _beat_ you! I'll get even better than you!"

At that moment, Keith had no idea what exactly he had started...

/break\

Shiro was positively beaming as he sat together with Allura and Matt in the living room of the Chase-household, doing homework. Matt should be two grades beneath Allura and Shiro in school, but with that Athena-brain of his, he had easily skipped two years and was now in the same class as Allura and Shiro. Over the past year that Allura and Matt had been living with their adopted parents, they had become Shiro's best friends. He never had a best friend before, much less two.

He only barely remembered what life with his biological mother had been like, if he was honest. The memory of the accident was still very fresh in his mind. It was something he'd never forget. But then Jason and Reyna had adopted him and become his parents and life slowly started to get better. Uncle Leo had made him an awesome arm, mom taught him how to fight and be a good, responsible leader and dad taught him how to use his powers properly.

And now, now he also had friends. Well, he's had Keith for a longer while now, but Keith was five years younger than Shiro so it was kind of hard to do many things with the little boy. Not that Shiro didn't care a great deal about Keith! It was obvious that Keith basically worshiped Shiro and looked up to him like a mentor, which really flustered Shiro and also made him happy. But since Allura and Matt were roughly Shiro's age, they could do much more with each other and they were also in the same classes. Shiro had grown very fond of the both of them, by now he even accepted that they were here to stay. He had been a bit reluctant and shy at first – he was always a bit shy at first, because he didn't know how well people would handle his missing arm. There had already been some nastier kids that claimed he was broken.

But Allura was sweet and gentle, yet very firm and strong and protective. If she heard someone talk ill about Shiro, she grew very irritated and did not hold back on kicking butt. It was one of the things Shiro cherished the most about the white-haired daughter of Aphrodite.

Matt wasn't like that. Well, he grew upset when he heard someone say something stupid, but Matt wasn't a fighter like that. He was a strategist and a thinker, a bookworm. But he too had a big heart and Shiro loved listening to Matt's tech-rambling, because the blonde got so excited.

"Don't you children want to take a break?", suggested Annabeth gently.

She had her hair put up in a messy bun and there were dark circles under her eyes. Shiro had long since learned to recognize those signs on a child of Athena or Hephaestus for what they are – she must have spent the night on some kind of new passion project. Shiro smiled brightly as Annabeth put a tray of hot chocolates and cookies on the table, effectively distracting even Allura and Matt from homework. With a smile on her lips did Annabeth also sit down with them.

"Reyna told me you're going to spent your break in Puerto Rico. Are you excited about it?"

Shiro's eyes widened impossibly as he nodded wildly. He was so looking forward to their family vacation, because the huntresses were currently staying at the quarters of the Amazons for one of their friendly competitions and that meant when Shiro, Reyna and Jason would be there, both of Shiro's aunts – Hylla and Thalia – would be there and Shiro was always happy when he got to see either of them, but getting to see them both? That was just pure awesome.

"It's gonna be the best family vacation ever! But Kei has been pouting at me for leaving..."

Allura giggled as she munched on her cookie. "Keith is like your puppy."

"Is not", protested Shiro. "Keith was just my first friend I made here, so he's important! And I'm the first friend he made, so I'm important to him, duh."

"Yeah, but _you_ also made other friends. He's... just following you around", noted Matt critically.

Shiro opened his mouth and tried to argue, but he failed. For the past couple months, Keith had often been surrounded by Lance, Hunk and Pidge, but Shiro was reluctant to call them friends, considering how annoyed Keith looked whenever he was with them.

"I'm looking forward to our family vacation too!", declared Allura, thankfully enough changing the topic. "We're going to San Francisco to visit my grandpas."

Annabeth smiled gently as she patted Allura's hair. "Your grandpa Tristan already said how much he's looking forward to seeing you and that he bought you a lot of presents..."

Allura's eyes sparkled at that, making Matt and Shiro grin.

/break\

Two years had passed since Lance di Angelo had entered Keith's life and Keith had come to the conclusion that Lance was the definition of a headache. They were starting elementary school at age six and Keith had the doubtful pleasure of being in the same class as Lance and the one year older Hunk. Hunk and Lance looked happy about it from day one; Keith could do without.

When Keith is particularly bored, he likes to play with his fire. Just the tiniest bit; only a flame dancing around his wrists, no larger than a hazelnut. His control isn't good enough yet to deal with more than that. He still remembered the agitated and exhausted look on his mother's face when Clarisse had realized that the son of Ares was also a legacy of Vulcan, with the only Vulcan-power that seemed to manifest in Keith being the control over fire. Uncle Leo had been _overjoyed_. And even though Keith still had a bit of a hard time dealing with the overly affectionate and hyperactive nature of one Leo Zhang, Keith still had grown decidedly fond of Leo. Leo had taught Keith control – was still teaching Keith how to control his fire, because Keith was far from perfect (then again, so was Leo's control, because whenever uncle Frank would kiss Leo in public, Leo's ears would burst into flames and all Keith could do was wiggle his nose and roll his eyes).

"You shouldn't do that during class", whispered Lance next to him.

His azure-blue eyes were fixed on the little flame dancing around Keith's wrist. Keith rolled his eyes and made the flame bigger, just because. Not because he knew he'd be able to control it, but simply because he enjoyed _not_ doing what Lance said. The other boy always riled him up. Keith couldn't even explain _why_. Clarisse said it was only natural; she had been as agitated and riled up by Percy Jackson when they had been young. It was in the sea brats' blood to irritate others, had been Clarisse's words. Keith would sign that in the blink of an eye. But he also guessed that _maybe_ it was because they were two opposite elements. Lance, son of Neptune, controller of water. And Keith, legacy of Vulcan, controller of fire. Fire and water did not go well with each other. Add to that their nature – Keith was a well-disciplined son of Ares, while Lance truly embodied the fluent, irrational nature of the sea. It was _infuriating_. And that Lance had somehow decided to be part of Keith's life was so not helping that situation any. Keith jumped as a bucket of water was emptied over his head.

"Keith Rodriguez, if you'd kindly pay attention _and_ stop trying to set the school on fire, that would be very nice", stated their teacher rather pointedly. "Lance, can you help out?"

Lance grinned brightly as he waved a hand and effectively dry-willed Keith. Keith blinked as he found himself completely dry again, all the water floating back into the bucket. Sometimes, Keith was very jealous of Lance, because Lance's element didn't _harm_. It was just fun and games for the other boy, while Keith had to work hard to control it and not accidentally burn anyone.

/break\

For the duration of elementary school, literally everything was a competition for Lance and it started to agitate Keith and make him hopeful that junior high would change things. Maybe put him in a different class than Lance. He kept his fingers crossed for that.

Every gym class was a race and every game was a competition. Lance always claimed that he wanted to be better and stronger and ahead of Keith. He only ever was in one discipline.

Lance was, very obviously, the superior swimmer. He was superior to anyone not just in their class but in their whole school. After all, he was the only son of Neptune/Poseidon in their generation. There was no physical way for anyone else to beat him when he was quite literally in his element. The irritating thing was how brightly Lance would smile and cheer, still, as though it was a _surprise_ that he won. It annoyed Keith so, so much. The happy smiles and cheerful attitude and all.

Keith was eleven years old and looking forward to middle school. Not just because he hoped to get rid of Lance. Also for the sole fact that he'd go to middle school – and that meant he was finally practically an adult. The middle school was also located right opposite the high school, which meant he could spend his lunch breaks with Shiro. Shiro was sixteen and _so_ cool. He was strong and kind and quiet and intelligent and totally handsome and maybe Keith had like the tiniest crush on him. Or at least that was what Allura always teased him about, anyway.

"You look really irritated. I conclude you're in the same class as Lance again", stated Shiro.

He looked amused, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at the pouting Keith. Keith glared at him, even with a note of envy. Shiro was tall and strong and muscular at all the right places. He also hat the cutest grin ever. But that was totally normal. Many from his class slowly started to develop celebrity crushes and hero crushes and all of that, some of them copying what they saw on TV.

"Yes", groaned Keith and offered Shiro his lunch-box. "I mean, he's so annoying. He kept babbling on about how excited he is about that new Avatar show they just announced and then he rambled on and on and on about Sokka and how much he admires the character... He's such a rambler."

Shiro made an appreciative sound in the back of his throat as he dug in. Everyone knew that Jason and Reyna were good parents and did their best – but both of them were _the_ worst in the kitchen. They were lucky that they lived next door to Frank, Hazel and Leo, because the threesome most of the time sponsored their dinners and lunches. Shiro offered Keith that small, genuinely happy smile of his as he munched on the home-made noodle salad that Keith's dad had made. Keith blushed and averted his eyes, cursing in his mind at how much Shiro's appreciation meant to him.

"I think it's cute how well you two get along", declared Shiro with a grin.

"...Did you not listen to me calling him annoying just now and for like the past seven years?", asked Keith with a deadpanned look. "We do not get along. At all. We're literally like fire and water."

Shiro chuckled good-natured at that before taking another fork full of noodles. "You listen to everything he says, even though you claim it's annoying. And I _know_ you well enough to know that you'd miss it if he wouldn't nag you. Lance's nagging and competitive nature make _you_ better. Even though you claim you don't care about his competitiveness, you still work harder to keep being ahead of him. You might prefer to be alone, but you don't want to be lonely. That much is obvious considering how much you hang out around me, Allura and Matt and how you still allow Lance, Hunk and Pidge to hang out with you. You'd be _lonely_ without him, even though he annoys you."

There was a too long stretch of too awkward silence in which Keith glowered about how well Shiro knew him. So maybe he really, really, _really_ disliked the annoying, bubbly Latino, but just perhaps, he also kind of needed Lance in his life. Somehow. How utterly annoying, but surely it would wear off. At one point, Keith was going to surround himself with Shiro and others like them and by then, Lance would just be an irritating memory of Keith's childhood. Surely.

/break\

"Honey, dinner is ready. What... What _are_ you doing...?"

Percy looked worried and surprised as he stared around Lance's room. It had changed a lot over the years, but many things were still the same. In the corner of Lance's bed was still Azul sitting, worn out from years of love but still important to him. The whole room was also still blue, though it had a bit of a pre-teen vibe to it. There were posters of recent Marvel movies – Percy couldn't believe the MCU was still going, though then again, it just kept passing on the mantle and if Percy had it right, Peter Parker was one of the few original Avengers to still be around – and even a poster of the last swimmer gold medal winner. Photos were plastered all over the wall above and around Lance's desk – of Lance, Percy and Nico throughout the years, Sally and Paul, Tyson and Ella, of course also of Lance with his friends Pidge, Hunk, Keith and Shiro.

Now, the reason Percy was startled upon entering the room was the mess of gift wrapping paper all over the room, as well as various bows and items to be used to wrap gifts. In the middle of it all sat Lance, trying very unsuccessfully to wrap the red paper around a red plush-lion.

"It's a Christmas gift for Keith", stated Lance in a chipper voice and with a bright smile.

Percy blinked a couple of times before he walked over to kneel next to his son. He recognized a lot of himself in Lance, to a startling amount even. Lance was desperate to be liked, to be cherished. To be strong and useful, not weak and useless – and left behind. It was why he was so competitive with Keith; he was afraid to be left behind by the other boy. Lance was also clinging onto the people he loved with gusto, just like Percy. He had started early on to buy presents for his friends too – just tiny little things, for Hunk, Pidge and Keith. But out of his friends, Keith always proved to be the hardest to please. Keith just always seemed so annoyed with everything Lance did, so Lance tried to do better in the following year. Percy smiled gently as he ran his hand over Lance's head.

"...A plush toy?", asked Percy _very_ carefully.

After all, Keith was eleven-bordering-on-twelve and that boy more so than any of his peers was determined to grow up fast. Somehow, Percy didn't quite see Keith as the plush toy cuddling type.

"It's from the same line of toys as Azul and Melemele and Grønn!", exclaimed Lance excitedly.

Percy smiled in understanding and nodded. Back when Hunk and Lance had first gotten Azul and Melemele, they had dragged those two plush-lions literally everywhere. And cute tiny Pidge had grown very jealous, so for her upcoming birthday, Katie and Malcolm had gotten her a green lion from that line of toys. Percy remembered how when he had bought it, there had been all variations of colors for those lions and other wild cats. It had been kind of their thing, those lions. And Percy _knew_ that even though Keith was a pouty grump, deep down Keith craved to belong – kind of like how Percy's dear husband used to be as a teen. A gentle smile spread over Percy's lips as he leaned in to kiss Lance's temple. Just like Nico, Keith needed someone stubborn and persistent to draw him out of his shell and carve a special place where he could belong. Percy was confident that Lance was making a good job there. In a way, the lion would or could make Keith feel more like he belonged to their group and in another way, it might actually make Keith stay a child just a bit longer. An eleven years old boy shouldn't try to be an adult already.

"I noticed when we were on our class trip last month! When Hunk and I both had Melemele and Azul with us. Keith kept glaring at them. He claimed it was because we were being childish and embarrassing, but that was totally not it. He was just as uncomfortable being somewhere totally new and without our parents or cohorts", kept Lance explaining. "So I've been digging through Amazon and eBay and everywhere on the internet with grandma's help until I found the _perfect_ one! There weren't many of the lions anyway, because they hadn't been produced in years, but finding a red one was real hard. But red is his favorite color, so everything else wouldn't have been good enough."

And Percy knew how important it was for Lance to be good enough. He pulled his son into a hug, startling Lance a little. When he let go of the boy, Percy started helping him with the wrapping of the large plush toy. Lance smiled brightly at him in gratitude.

/break\

Shiro was grinning broadly as he sat in Keith's room. Since Reyna and Clarisse were close friends, Shiro's family was spending the second day of Christmas at the Rodriguez' place. That and the fact that Chris made a mean turkey, while Reyna's chances of turning it into charcoal were pretty high. The reason why Shiro was grinning so broadly was because there was a giant red plush-lion sitting on Keith's pillow. It was literally the only 'childish' thing in the room; when Keith graduated from elementary school and moved on to middle school, he had removed everything that seemed too childish and had decided for himself that he was on his way to become a grown up.

"That's cute. Did you get it from your grandma yesterday?", asked Shiro curiously.

He knew that Chris, Clarisse and Keith had been at grandma la Rue's for Christmas dinner. Caroline was a hearty yet firm woman who never failed to embarrass Clarisse. She also thoroughly adored Keith. Keith glared at Shiro and blushed a faint pink that seemed far more prominent considering his pale skin-complexion. Shiro grinned amused by the reaction.

"...No", grunted Keith gruffly. "It's from... Lance. He dropped by this morning and handed me my gift before rushing off to New York with his parents..."

Shiro blinked surprised. He was aware that Hunk, Lance and Pidge had matching lions, only in different colors. After all, Lance used to drag the thing everywhere he went for years, while Shiro had seen Pidge's lion whenever he was over to visit Matt. And considering that the red lion was now sitting on Keith's pillow, Lance had once again hit the nail on the head. He tended to do that with every gift he ever got anyone, really. Even if it was just a tiny little thing; Lance had this knack for knowing exactly what made the people he cared about happy.

"What did you call it?", asked Shiro lightly as he walked over to grab the lion and look at it.

"I'm not naming a toy", snorted Keith ridiculed and glared.

"Pidge's and Matt's dad was from Norway, that's why she named it... uh... the Norwegian word for green. Hunk's from Hawaii and Lance's mom and abuela always spoke Spanish. You can't tell me that you're not sticking with the theme", stated Shiro lightly, with a slight teasing to his voice.

Keith grumbled beneath his breath, cheeks even redder now. "...Krasnaya."

"Kras... naya...? What language is that?", asked Shiro with a curious frown.

"Russian. My mom...", started Keith before shaking his head and snatching the lion from Shiro to glare at the toy in utter irritation. "How does he _do_ that? _Why_ does he do that? Every sane human being would have backed off by now. I keep telling him I don't want gifts from him. I never give him anything. Why... Why is he so _stubborn_?"

Shiro grinned and tilted his head. "He's just as stubborn as you are. I guess that's why he rubs you the wrong way, because you actually like that he doesn't back down."

Keith huffed at that and just threw the lion at Shiro. Shiro laughed and dodged it. If he was being honest, Shiro really enjoyed riling Keith up on a low-level too. It was just too amusing to see the fiery passion of the son of Ares. Especially about this particular topic, because Shiro _wanted_ Keith to have friends his own age. So Shiro had grown fonder of Keith with the years and Keith had graduated from being just a little kid that followed Shiro like a puppy to a friend, but Shiro was a teenager with teenager-interests – he went to see movies that Keith wasn't even allowed to see yet, he took driver lessons together with Matt. Shiro wanted for Keith to have friends his own age with interests his own age – and since Lance was so adamant, Shiro figured it was the best bet.

"Maybe it's not about getting gifts for Lance, but solemnly about _giving_ ", offered Shiro curiously.

Keith continued to grumble a couple of things under his breath, before the two of them headed downstairs for dinner with their parents. Prodding Keith was fun, but Shiro also knew when to stop and to never take it too far, or else the fire-bender would explode. His hand however slipped into his pants-pocket, grasping the little thing that Lance had gotten him for Christmas, because Lance had dropped by early this morning at their place too. It was a black onyx lion for Shiro's key-chain. It was pretty, subtle and gorgeous. Lance was _really_ good at gift-giving.

/break\

Lance was laying on the ground in front of the Christmas-tree, head pillowed next to Mrs. O'Leary, patting the giant hellhound's soft fur while staring up at the underside of the tree. He could hear his parents and grandparents talk in the other room. He was clutching the fluffy blue scarf he had gotten for Christmas from his grandma – she had made it herself and it was just _so_ fluffy.

"You look way too thoughtful for a kid who just unwrapped Christmas presents."

Lance blinked and turned to look at his papà who was now laying down next to Lance, arms folded beneath his head and eyes also trained on the underside of the tree. "I'm just... worried that I didn't get the right thing for Keith _again_. He's like _so_ hard to please, it pisses me off."

"Language, young man! And who even teaches you that?!", called Paul from next door.

"Sorry, grandpa", called Lance out before tuning it down again and turning to his papà. "I just... Hunk was _real_ happy and Pidge even giggled and Shiro smiled and... I dunno why Keith never looks happy. Whatever happens... he just never looks happy."

Nico hummed in understanding and reached out to wrap an arm around Lance and pull him closer so Lance could pillow his head on Nico's chest. "Don't worry so much about it, bambino. I think... Keith is happy about it. About every gift you give him. He's just... not good at expressing it."

"Like you were?", asked Lance curiously, tilting his head to look up at him. "Daddy told me that too. That Keith would be happy, but can't... express it. And that you used to be the same."

"...Yes", confirmed Nico, ruffling Lance's hair. "I thought I was better off on my own too, just like Keith most likely thinks. But then I made friends who were just as stubborn to be in my life as you and your friends are and they changed me for the better. What I'm trying to say is; Don't give up on him, okay? Don't give up. He needs it, believe me."

Lance nodded happily, snuggling up to Nico pleased. If both his parents told him not to give up on Keith, then he totally wasn't. Not that he was planning on giving up on Keith. After all, Keith was his big rival – and every great athlete or hero had a great rival.

/break\

Pidge _hated_ being so young. She glared as she sat in front of her mom, Katie braiding her hair. Pidge's hair was relatively long at the moment and she liked when her mom braided it.

"You look decidedly too grumpy for your first day of middle school", chided Katie gently.

"Mom's right", agreed Matt in passing, clearly hastily packing his books.

"It's just... I'm entering middle school and Lance and Keith and Hunk are like... on their last year of middle school. I'm tired of always being the last one and behind them", sighed Pidge with a pout.

Matt, seventeen and on his last year of high school, paused for a moment. "Look, sis, that's... I know what you mean. Sure, I'm in the same class as Shiro and Allura, but I'm still younger than them and without my Athena powers, I would be left behind them too. But the thing that matters is that they're your friends. They've never left you behind and they never will."

Katie smiled gently up at her adopted son as she saw with how much adoration Pidge was looking at her brother. Matt always knew exactly what to say to cheer his sister up, even when Katie and Malcolm were a little lost. Sure, Katie and Malcolm had gotten really good at the whole parenting-thing, but there was just a natural connection between Pidge and Matt that would never be able to be replaced by anything or anyone. Not that they wanted to.

"Come on, today is an exciting day", urged Katie on, kissing Pidge's forehead.

"Guess so", shrugged Pidge and wiggled her nose.

Matt laughed at that and reached out to ruffle his sister's hair.

/break\

Hunk was grinning like a maniac as he rode on Arion, racing Lance for all he was worth. Not that Lance and Blackjack really stood a chance against the fastest horse ever. But Lance still entertained Hunk; not because Lance was adamant to win, but just because they were friends and were having fun. Sometimes, Hunk couldn't believe that Lance was still his best friend, even ten years after they first met in the orphanage, sharing a room and being awkward and lonely boys. They had clung onto each other because didn't have anyone else and even though they both now had all those amazing people who loved them, they still also clung onto each other.

"And I win! Again. That's like... eighty-seven to zero?", declared Hunk with a broad grin.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever", huffed Lance and stuck his tongue out at his best friend. "Come on, you promised me uncle Leo's cherry pie after the race!"

The two friends laughed and patted their faithful stallions in gratitude before heading back inside. Leo was already waiting for them with the table set and pie on it. The adult grinned amused as he reached out to ruffle both their hair. As soon as Leo went to cut the pie, his partners were summoned practically out of nowhere. Frank and Hazel kissed Leo's cheeks from either side before they sat down, making Hunk grin a little. He loved how much his parents loved each other – as a demigod, he had been raised by a single parent until his adoption and to see this loving interaction always kind of made him happy. It also made him happy how much his parents loved him. Frank grinned at Hunk and nudged him, jerking his head into the direction of where their bows and arrows stood in a corner of the living room. Hunk's eyes sparkled at the silent offer. He loved shooting with his dad. Just as much as he loved tinkering with his papa. Or training with his mom. He also loved that he had a special something with each of his parents, like a special connection.

"Percy is going swimming with you later, so don't eat too much pie, Lance", warned Leo.

"He is?", asked Lance with a mouth-full and a happy expression.

"Yeah. He called while you boys were out. Class was canceled because half the class has the flu, so he'll come and pick you up earlier and figured you two could go to the lake", replied Leo.

"Awesome!", exclaimed Lance and jumped up a little.

Hunk grinned broadly as he watched the genuine happiness of his best friend. Lance really was a kid of Neptune. Then again, that could be said about most of them, really. Aside from Pidge. Even though she was a daughter of Ceres and had a connection to nature, she spent far more time tinkering and fixing things and developing robots, instead of planting and nurturing said plants. Sure, she had the greenest thumb of anyone Hunk knew and she loved spending time in the forest. Then again, Hunk also had a special affliction for tinkering – he might blame his papa for that, because Leo taught him everything there was to building and creating. He wasn't an underworld-kid, just like his mom – Hazel had never been the underworldly one, her connection was with the Earth itself and that connection, Hunk shared. He just shared Leo's love for tinkering even more. Lance and Keith however, they were total embodiments of their heritage. Lance, the always changing river, a force to be reckoned. And Keith, the fiery passion and disciplined fighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a merry Christmas today too ;) I hope you had a nice cozy Christmas Eve and that today may continue on a merry note! ^o^
> 
> Next chapter will continue with a time-skip to their teenage-years and, duh, the romance *wiggles eyebrows*


	3. Lovers

_Part 3: Lovers_

Shiro froze, eyes wide and mouth open just a little. He was panting, though trying to be as silent as possible. Which was a bit complicated considering his boyfriend on his lap kept grinding down on him, teeth catching Shiro's lower lip and pulling him into a deep kiss.

"My parents are out. They won't return for at least two more hours. Relax, Shiro."

"Relax, he says", muttered Shiro softly, arms wrapping around his lover's waist. "Your mom is _the_ scariest person I have ever met in my life. I don't want to imagine what she'd do if she knew I'm doing... indescribable things to her seventeen years old son!"

Keith heaved a very agitated sigh and pushed himself off of his boyfriend of about half a year to glare pointedly at Shiro. "Shiro. You're the son of the king of gods. How are you scared of a middle-aged daughter of Ares...? Besides, I'm seventeen. I can make my own decisions."

"Yeah, and I'm twenty-two and she'll think I'm some-some-", stammered Shiro with a frown.

"The praetor and fair leader of our people?", offered Keith with a drawl. "A very diligent college student with a plan? One of the kindest people they ever met...?"

Shiro blushed in that adorably humble way of his, one of the reasons Keith fell in love with him. Well, Keith had been crushing on the older boy for a long while now, but it was only a couple months ago that Keith managed to convince Shiro that he was more than a kid following him around. They had been semi-secretly dating for half a year now. Semi-secretly because they hadn't told their parents yet. Their friends however, they knew. And teased them. A lot. Most at Camp Half-Blood thought they were like the golden couple of their time, which was embarrassing and annoying. Keith didn't want to be a golden anything. That Shiro, biological son of Zeus and adopted son of two praetors, now a praetor and powerful hero himself, was a Golden Boy, that was obvious. Sure, Keith had managed full control over his fire-powers and he had grown to become the leader of his own cohort as well as head of Ares Cabin. People (Allura. Mainly, really just Allura) thought they were a perfect match – the gloomy bad boy and the upstanding golden boy.

"Will you please stop worrying and continue kissing me?", requested Keith irritated. "Because by the time my parents get home, you _will_ run with your tail between your legs and I am meeting Lance in... an hour. Which cuts the precious home alone time we have short."

Shiro grinned knowingly, hands wandering to cup Keith's ass. Keith rolled his eyes very slowly and pointedly, because he knew that knowing look and he hated it. Shiro basically always got it when Keith spoke the name 'Lance'. As though it meant something. Which it didn't. Okay, sure, half of New Olympus was under the odd impression that Keith and Lance were best friends, but that was it. Keith yelped only slightly as Shiro whirled them around to pin the fire-bender beneath him.

"You're so cute when you're irrationally irritated by Lance", whispered Shiro amused, kissing him.

"Irrational? There is absolutely nothing irrational about being irritated by Lance", argued Keith.

Shiro just laughed and kissed Keith deeper, effectively distracting him.

/break\

Lance was oddly bored and excited at the same time. He sat on top of Mrs. O'Leary's head, scratching her behind the ear as he watched his two best friends Hunk and Pidge work on their current big project under the supervision and guidance of Leo. A flying ship of their own. The figure-head was, of course, a roaring lion. Lance already totally loved it.

But since Lance was not a tinkerer, he was in fact a bit of a klutz when it came to those things, he couldn't really help. So he had to watch. And yes, he was excited about the ship, but he was bored out of his mind just watching them. At least his friends were having fun though.

Pidge, by now fifteen, was a bit of a rut still. Short and definitely not a physical fighter, but a very strong-minded girl that always found a way out of any situation. Her once rather long hair was chopped short so it wouldn't bother her while tinkering – she had learned that lesson about two years ago when her hair had actually caught fire in a terrifying moment of absentmindedness.

Hunk was already eighteen, but had never really lost that baby-fat that he had when Hunk and Lance had first met. Then again, his parents were some of the best cooks of the city, so he was often tempted to eat good and a lot. He was still as happy and cheerful and optimistic as always, though also a tiny bit of a coward who often argued with Lance when Lance wanted to go on an adventure. The voice of reason to Lance's impulse-decisions, others like to call it.

"Lance, if you're just going to twitch and distract us, just... go", ordered Pidge irritated.

"Yeah. Didn't you have plans with... Keith?", asked Hunk with a slightly teasing note.

"Oh. Plans with Keith? Just the two of you?", inquired Leo curiously, perking up. "Like a... date?"

"What? No!", exclaimed Lance, maybe a bit too hastily. "Everyone knows Keith's dating Shiro."

"...Everyone did not know that", stated Leo wide-eyed, blinking slowly. "Wow."

"Because their parents don't know. So _parents_ in general weren't supposed to know", sighed Pidge.

"Really?", asked Lance surprised. "Dad and papà have known for a while. Dad even heard it from Keith's mom, said that Clarisse was having such a good laugh at how Shiro and Keith were trying to sneak around the house... Didn't know she wasn't supposed to know."

Hunk and Pidge snorted and exchanged a look at that. It kind of figured that Clarisse and most likely also Chris, Reyna and Jason had found out by now. Lance tilted his head curiously at them for one last time before he bid his goodbyes and skipped out of the backyard and off toward Keith's.

/break\

Shiro had a playful smile on his lips as he watched his boyfriend and Lance. He was accompanying them to the lake, though then he'd have to part with them because he had afternoon classes. Damn college. He'd much rather lay on a blanket and watch Keith and Lance play in the water. The two of them were... enchanting together. Lance's fluent movements, Keith's heated passion.

Shiro had noticed it at about the same time. How strong and handsome Keith had grown, fierce and passionate and intense. How beautiful and cunning Lance had grown, cheeky and sweet and loving. In a way, Shiro thought they were two sides of the same coin, they completed each other in a way neither of the two noticed. And then Keith had made a move on Shiro and Shiro, who had firmly believed that Keith and Lance would end up together, was not crazy enough to decline.

He just thought, in the back of his mind, how much more complete they'd be if they'd also have Lance. His eyes darkened as he watched both boys strip down to their swim-shorts, Keith pale but well-defined, Lance tanned and lean. Shaking his head, Shiro smiled at them.

"Have fun with your training, you two. Don't race until sunset again", warned Shiro half-sternly.

"Sure, sure, Shiro! Be good and learn a lot!", called Lance teasingly.

Keith snorted and rolled his eyes, first watching his boyfriend leave and then watching Lance run right into the lake. He had to smile despite himself. There was such a pure, genuine joy to Lance whenever the son of Neptune was in the water. Not even Keith could deny that. And, regardless of how much he tried to deny it, he also felt a certain... attraction to Lance, looking at the Latino half-naked like that, skin glistering with water, nipples hardening at the contact with the cold water, hair messy and azure-blue eyes sparkling with unadulterated joy.

"I don't know why I even let you rope me into these things. You're the son of Neptune. I don't stand a chance against you in the water anyway", sighed Keith agitated.

When Lance offered one of his blinding smiles, Keith remembered why. "Just race me, dork."

/break\

Percy was grinning like a total lunatic while he was setting the table. Lance had another one of his 'competitive dates' with Keith, as Percy liked to call them. The two boys would meet up to compete in the most ridiculous disciplines. It was endearing. It also helped that Keith reminded Percy _a lot_ of Nico; not just on a disturbingly similar physical appearance level but also because of his behavior. Keith was as emotionally constipated as Nico used to be, always glaring and gloomy and preferring to be alone, if not for the friends that forced their way into his life. While he still saw a lot of himself in Lance, the way his son acted and reacted. So it was totally not Percy's fault that he thought Keith and Lance would make the perfect couple.

"...Papà, why's dad grinning like that? It's kinda creepy."

Nico snorted softly and looked up at the slightly disturbed look on his son's face. Lance was just in the middle of ruffling his short hair dry with one of the fluffy towels – the reason the sons of the sea even used towels to begin with. He had just come home and headed straight for the shower to cool off. No training regime exhausted Lance more than his one-on-one training with Keith. Which was _so much more_ information than Nico needed, really.

"That's not creepy. It's his 'I'm planning my son's wedding'-face", corrected Nico. "Now, if you'd put the towel away and feed Mrs. O'Leary and Small Bob before dinner's ready?"

Lance obediently put the towel aside so he could do as his father had said. "What... wedding? Dad, I'm not even _dating_ anyone, please wait with planning the wedding like a couple more years?"

There was a pause where Percy and Nico stared at each other with surprised looks on their faces before Percy turned to Lance. "But... you just came home from a date...?"

Now it was Lance's turn to pause, one hand on top of Mrs. O'Leary's head as he patted her. "Wait. I did what now? I was with Keith. ...Oh. Y—You t—thought I was on a _date_ with _Keith_?!"

Lance's face was a concerning shade of red as he stared wide-eyed at his parents, prompting Percy to frown very, very confused. "...You mean you're _not_ dating Keith...?"

Nico was actually impressed that Lance managed to turn an even darker shade of red. "N—No! What? No! It's _Keith_! A—And besides, Keith's dating _Shiro_! A—And why do you even-?!"

"You two spend an awful lot of time together", replied Nico casually while taking plates out. "You train with no one as much as you train with Keith. We... were sure training was a euphemism."

And yes, it was possible for Lance to turn an even darker shade of red. "E—euphemism? Oh gods."

Groaning embarrassed, Lance buried his face in his arms. How was this a thing? How did his parents think he was _dating_ _Keith_? Sure, Keith was hot and his broody, cold behavior was kind of adorable because Lance knew Keith actually cared like a lot. But there was no way Keith would ever like Lance like that, after all Lance knew how much he annoyed the son of Ares – and why was he even _thinking_ about this? It didn't matter if Keith liked him like that, because Lance didn't like Keith like that. Right? Why did he even have to ask that?! He should know that. Then again, his mind was always kind of a mess and perhaps he has had like a few wet dreams about Keith, but that was because the guy was hiding a _nice_ sixpack. Oh gods. Lance had _feelings_ for Keith.

"Sweetie, are you alright? You look... traumatized?", asked Percy very carefully.

Lance looked up at his dad with dramatically teary eyes. "I—I think I might actually like Keith!"

"...Yes, that's part of the reason we were convinced you two were dating", nodded Percy with a frown. "...Well, you got me beaten for the most oblivious guy about romance."

He smiled and patted Lance's head, making his son whine a little. "But it's _Keith_. Keith doesn't even like me! Besides, he has a boyfriend, like _the_ most amazing guy in the whole city! And... And-"

Percy just smiled gently at him and patted his cheek. "There, there, honey. How about we eat and then we move on to the XXL ice-cream box I have in the freezer for emergencies?"

"Thanks, dad", mumbled Lance and hugged Percy tightly.

Nico snorted and rolled his eyes. He loved his son, but Lance could be quite the drama-queen. If only Percy wouldn't encourage that kind of behavior. Then again, Nico found it kind of endearing to see his sea brats together like that. Giving them a pointed look, he put the filled plates down.

"Dinner now, wallowing in self-pity later", declared Nico firmly.

/break\

Reyna had a gentle smile on her lips as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, arms crossed in front of her chest as she watched Shiro for a little while. She was incredibly proud of the young man he had become. Shiro had been such a shy, broken little boy when Reyna and Jason had taken him in. They had helped rebuild Shiro's confidence – and Leo's amazing high-tech arm that he kept updating helped a lot there. To see her precious little boy having become that strong young man, a praetor whose people looked up to him and admired him, a good friend and a brave hero.

"Did you want something or are you content watching me, mom?"

Shiro had come home for dinner and he was in the middle of cooking. Even after all these years, his parents still hadn't quite gotten better at cooking. Shiro had moved out a year after his graduation from high school, moving in together with Allura and Matt.

"Ah. I was lost in thought", admitted Reyna with a smile before she sat down. "How are you?"

"Good. I'm really looking forward to summer break", sighed Shiro and craned his neck. "The semester was exhausting and seeing something else aside from the library sounds great."

"How much... more would you like to see?", asked Jason in a chipper voice.

He entered the kitchen and went to kiss Reyna's cheek before he went to ruffle Shiro's hair. Shiro frowned a bit confused at his father. Very rarely did Jason have such a happy expression on his face when he came back from a meeting with the mayor and the senate. Back in the old days, the senate was made up of teens, which was quite ridiculous considering that New Rome, as it used to be called, had adults and families living there too. Nowadays, real actual adults took over governing the city and teen could finally just enjoy their time as young, adventurous heroes.

"Why are you asking like that, dad?", asked Shiro with one raised eyebrow.

"Well, you know how we have sister cities on the other continents, right?", drawled Jason before stealing something out of the pot. "Mh, this is good. Anyway, so we had this agreement to send someone to... make the tours. A meet and greet and such, to keep a good relationship with them."

"And you want _me_ to go?", asked Shiro surprised and maybe just a hint nervous.

"Your mom and I sure would support you, but we're not the ones who suggested you", replied Jason as he stole some more. "This is _really_ good. You need to move back home, Takashi. Your mother and I are starving – starving, I tell you. And here you are, cooking stuff like that..."

"You're getting distracted again, dad", pointed Shiro out, smiling just a little. "You were saying?"

"Right. Anyway, so since Pidge, Hunk and... partially also Lance, I guess, according to Pidge and Hunk at least, are the ones building the flying ship for this mission, they get to pick their crew. And, Pidge being Pidge, she declared Matt has to be on the team. Which everyone agrees with, because... Hunk and Lance manage to rope Pidge into... shenanigans. Matt's responsible, so yay for that. Lance insisted that you and Keith should come too. And of course also Allura, what with having you and Matt on the team. And we – as the adult-front – agree that maybe between you, Matt and Allura, maybe the four of them would not get into... too much trouble."

Shiro blinked slowly, mulling it over. He knew the last flying ship had sailed with a crew of seven too. The idea was very exciting, actually. Flying somewhere, all over the world, with his best friends. The thought that Lance had 'insisted' on him and Keith going too made Shiro blush just a little bit. So he had chosen Keith – or been chosen by Keith – when he noticed that both had turned into quite the handsome and adorable young men, instead of adorkable little puppies following him around. But that didn't mean he _forgot_ how cute and attractive and funny and kind Lance was. He wasn't blind. Neither to Lance's good looks or the cute way his eyes would sparkle or the way he moved, nor to the feeling Keith clearly had for Lance and also very clearly ignored.

/break\

Allura and Matt were very much on board and the seven of them set sails on the last day of the semester. All of their parents came, there was _a lot_ of hugging. Katie was practically smothering Pidge and piling her worries on her daughter – you're only fifteen, you're too young for such a trip, please listen to your big brother, don't throw yourself in danger, do not ever do anything Lance would do; the usual – while Malcolm and Matt had a very manly proud exchange.

Hunk was laughing and blushing as he was being hugged and peppered with kisses by Hazel, Frank and Leo, all three of them talking at the same time, trying to reassure him that he'd be okay. He was surprisingly okay though. He kept assuring his parents that as long as his friends were there, he would be totally fine. Which only made Leo cry and hug him even harder.

Jason was a proud daddy mess as he kept hugging Shiro and listing off things he'd have to watch out for, while Reyna stood by with a proud smile of her own, mouthing silently to her son that she knew he'd be fine and that Jason was over-exaggerating.

Clarisse and Keith were trying to play it cool, which of course Chris could not allow. This was Keith's first bigger quest and Chris was going to make a scene. He just loved riling them both up. At the end of the hug, both Clarisse and Keith were an embarrassed and annoyed shade of red.

Annabeth and Piper were the most put together, while Allura took in her mothers' advices and warnings with a serious face, saving it all to memory and valuing their experience. It had always made Percy roll his eyes to see how put together and responsible Annabeth's daughter was.

Percy all the while was smothering his son for all his worth. Not because he was really too worried; he knew Lance was one of the strongest demigods of his generation – and he was taking the other very strong demigods with him as backup. He knew his son was going to be fine. That didn't change that Percy was going to miss his precious little boy, or that it pained Percy to see how much Lance had grown up. Well, not _too_ much considering that Azul was stuffed into Lance's back, hidden beneath all the clothes. Nico was trying to be tough and look proud, but Percy knew his husband better. He knew there was _a lot_ of worry hidden in those dark eyes. Nico was probably thinking about that first quest Bianca had gone on – and never returned. All the dangerous quests Percy and their friends had lived through at a far too young age. The two wars both of them had survived by the time they were Lance's age. There was only one thing that could truly rattle the great Ghost King – and that was when his loved ones were in danger.

"Stop looking so worried, Nick. He'll be fine", whispered Percy as he slipped his hand into Nico's.

Nico wanted to protest, but one look at his husband told him that he didn't have Percy fooled. Blushing a little bit, Nico squeezed Percy's hand and pulled him close enough to kiss him softly.

"How about you both stop worrying. I'm gonna be alright", grinned Lance broadly, hugging them. "This is going to be a lot of fun. Me and the others are going to do good, promise."

"I know, mi niño precioso", sighed Percy, pulling Lance in to kiss his forehead again. "Have fun."

/break\

Keith was panting hard, completely out of breath as he had Lance pinned beneath him. Azure-eyes with pupils blown staring up at him, a borderline manic grin on Lance's lips as he tried to wiggle out from beneath Keith, prompting Keith to tighten his grip on the little water-bender. Both were covered in a thin layer of sweat, glistering in the sun-light. Shiro shifted to hide his hard-on.

"You got a little drool right there in the corner of your mouth", drawled Matt unimpressed.

Shiro actually checked, which made him blush and glare at his best friend. Hunk was in the crow's nest, Pidge at the steering wheel and Matt, Shiro and Allura were playing poker on deck, with a perfect view on Lance and Keith, who did their daily afternoon sparring.

"So, are the two of you actually going to invite Lance into your relationship, or is this some... masochistic thing of watching from the distance?", asked Allura, sounding genuinely curious.

Shiro blushed even harder at the blunt question. "W—We c—can't. I shouldn't even Keith. He's just... I'm five years older than them. I'm still half afraid Clarisse will grill me when she finds out. Do you know in how much pain I'd be when _Nico_ would find out I'd be corrupting his son...?"

"You are absolutely ridiculous, Takashi", sighed Allura exhausted, shaking her head.

"Yeah. She's right", agreed Matt, patting Shiro on the shoulder.

"A—Ah! You son of a-", screamed Keith, interrupting the grilling of Shiro.

Shiro was only half-relieved, because generally Keith screaming like that put him on high alert. But when he turned to look at Keith, he could only blink and then laugh. Keith was crouched over, dripping wet as a cartoonish storm-cloud was floating over his head, soaking him in what Shiro assumed was cold rain. Lance was still laying in front of Keith, grinning like a Cheshire Cat and still having his legs spread from where Keith had been sitting between them. Shiro needed to concentrate on literally anything aside from Lance with his legs spread and shirt riling up. Okay, not literally anything, because his boyfriend soaking wet boyfriend was just as bad in his current situation. How was Shiro going to survive this quest with all this temptation...?

"What? You refused to get off me and I'm not above cheating", chimed Lance happily as he got up and stretched in a very cat-like manner. "You should be used to that. You were literally raised by a son of Hermes, get over it. Also, this means I win!"

"...I hate him", grunted Keith, looking like a cat that got dropped into a bath.

Shiro smiled gently as he got up and walked over to pull Keith into a soft kiss. The scowl eased off of Keith's face as he leaned into the kiss, only a slight pout remaining. Keith continued to grumble beneath his breath as Shiro got him one of the towels they had laying around to dry off sweat, not a mild summer-rain. Keith looked so adorable when he was pouting and also with his hair wet and clinging to his face. Shiro grinned as he ruffled Keith's hair dry and kissed him again.

"You don't. You just don't like to lose", smirked Shiro knowingly.

/break\

"What's wrong with Lance?", asked Pidge with a serious expression on her face.

Hunk blinked slowly as he looked up at the girl. She always scared him just a little with such a serious look. The look took a slightly judgmental turn as she got comfortable on Hunk's bed.

"I dunno. He's been acting real... jumpy that past week already", shrugged Hunk with a frown.

"Also been blushing a whole lot more", pointed Pidge out. "Around Keith. Spill it, Hunk. I know you know something. I know you two have this whole 'bro-thing' and stuff."

Hunk winced at the accusing glint in her eyes. "He _might_ have realized that he likes Keith?"

"...Realized?", echoed Pidge surprised, blinking a couple of times. "I've known that for like ten years now. How has he only now 'realized' it...? That's insane... even by his standards..."

"Uhu. I know", agreed Hunk with a shrug. "I mean, when Shiro and Keith got together, I went to him with a giant cake because I thought he needed comfort food, but... he really didn't realize he had feelings for Keith. I'm kinda afraid to ask him if he knows he's also in love with Shiro?"

Pidge adapted a thoughtful frown as she tilted her head. "No, I think _that_ one he knew. He's had a hero-worshiping crush on Shiro literally ever since they met. He _has_ to know that, right...?"

Hunk gave her a long, pointed look and she faltered. Yeah, chances were Lance didn't know...

/break\

Okay, so going on this quest may not be _as_ awesome an idea as Lance had initially thought. Not his fault. How was he supposed to know that walls made of wood were thin and that Keith's cabin would be right next to his and that Shiro and Keith had _very loud sex_?! He was very flustered but also aroused as he listened to the moans and squeaking of the bed next door. Catching his lower lip between his teeth, he slowly ran his hands down his torso, closing his eyes. He had been achingly hard since that moaning had started. It was really-really hard not to picture what was going on over there – and was there anything hotter than Shiro and Keith going at it? Like, on this entire planet? Nope. Sure not. Well, _maybe_ it'd be even hotter if... Shiro and Keith went down on him...?

He gasped softly as his fingers curled around his cock and his eyes closed, mind slowly slipping off to fantasy-land, where he could happily be next door and join in on the fun. He kept thinking about how Keith had him pinned down the other day, the strength and raw passion in Keith's eyes, how hot his body ran when he was fighting. How cute – and hot – Shiro and Keith had been when they had kissed afterward. How hot they always were when they were together. The way Shiro would praise Lance during training – every time Shiro smiled at Lance and praised him for doing good, it went straight to Lance's dick every single time. Mewling softly, Lance thrust up into his hand.

He shrugged his pants off and spread his legs wide, tilting his hips to lift them off the bed enough so his free hand could wander to his asshole. He had fingered himself before; mostly to the thought of Shiro and how different his real hand – so much bigger, with thicker fingers than Lance – and his artificial hand would feel on Lance's body. Very recently, Keith had joined in on the imaginary fun. Lance shuddered at the thought of having four hands on him. Having both their attention on him. Even just in his mind, that thought made him blush hard.

He had always been the kind of person who reveled in attention. Many called him a show-pony for it, an attention-hogger. But that really wasn't it. Deep down, Lance _really_ needed the validation. To feel like he mattered, like he had a place here. Like he was wanted. And ever since he had discovered his more, ah, romantic interests, that need for validation took an entirely different turn. Gods, how much he _loved_ when Shiro would praise him for literally anything. And maybe, even if he wasn't willing to admit it, maybe that was why he competed with Keith so fiercely.

All he wanted from Keith was _recognition_. For Keith to praise Lance; for Lance to do good enough to _earn_ Keith's praise. And then, if the stupid fire-bender would finally be willing to compliment Lance, that might even weight more than Shiro's praise did. Lance would do basically anything to hear Keith praise him in that velvety, dark voice of his. Lance shuddered at the thought.

/break\

Keith glared up at Shiro in utter irritation as the older boy stopped moving – just when it was getting _really_ good. But the son of Zeus had a very confused and thoughtful look on his face. Just what Keith loved to see; his boyfriend getting distracted in the middle of sex.

"Shiro", hissed Keith, nails digging into Shiro's neck to gain his attention. "What in the-"

"Sh", grunted Shiro, pressing his lips against Keith's to silence him.

"Did you just shush me in the middle of sex?", growled Keith, glare darkening even more.

At least Shiro had the decency to blush at that. "I... uh... Just, listen."

Rolling his eyes, Keith did as he was told. It wasn't as though he had a whole lot of other options, what with him being trapped beneath his boyfriend's muscular body and the bed. The irritated frown eased off very, very slowly as he leaned closer to the wall. There were sounds. Soft panting and whimpering, little mewls and whines. Very delectable sounds that went straight to Keith's cock. And then his hard-on nearly died when he thought about who might be next door – just for him to remember that _Lance_ was staying in the cabin next to him. Much to Keith's horror did his cock jerk at the realization that Lance was making those thoughts. That should _not_ turn him on, so why did it?

"...Is... Lance... masturbating?", grunted Keith, really hoping that was it.

Because the other option was that Lance was having sex with either Allura, Matt, Hunk or Pidge. And neither of those options was even remotely acceptable for Keith. Which, again, why?

"Sounds like it", replied Shiro softly. "But... it only started after you and I, you know, started. I... think that... Lance might be... masturbating to _us_."

Keith just stared up at Shiro for a very, very long moment as though Shiro had completely lost it. And then Lance made a particularly endearing mewling sound and Keith could feel his cock dripping with pre-cum. Oh gods, he wanted to see the face Lance made when making those sounds.

"Fuck, that shouldn't be hot", growled Keith agitated.

"Why not?", asked Shiro confused, kissing along Keith's jawline as he continued fucking his boyfriend with shallow thrusts. "Are you... really still pretending you don't like Lance like that?"

Keith squinted at Shiro in irritation. He wasn't pretending anything. He didn't like Lance. At all. Not just 'not like that'. Shiro smirked against Keith's skin as he started jerking Keith off. Lance next door whimpered, a surprisingly high and desperate sound. Keith came hard when he heard it. Well, fuck.

/break\

So maybe coming while listening to Lance's whiny little sounds was the final tip-off for Keith, because now all he could see and focus on was Lance di Angelo. Lance's eyes and legs and lips and very pet-able looking hair and lickable skin. The way Lance moved so elegantly like a cat or a river or something like that. Damn it all. There was a lot of aggressive love-making and making-out between Keith and Shiro to compensate for the urge to pin Lance down and ravish him.

"This is your fault", growled Keith as he pinned Shiro against a wall.

Shiro blinked a bit dazed, staring down at his boyfriend who was pressing their crotches together in a very distracting way. "I don't know what I did, but if this is the result, I take full responsibility."

Keith hissed and bit Shiro's neck in a way that was doomed to leave a mark. "You had to insist on me liking Lance and now I do. Just because of you. Which is messed up on multiple levels, because you're my boyfriend and you shouldn't want me to want someone else."

Shiro winced and then grinned a little. "But this is... beneficial for us both. After all, Lance seems to like _us_ too. And I... like you both. So if you're too stubborn to realize you only 'tolerate' him because you like him... a lot... then... Come on, you're not truly mad, are you, Kei?"

Keith grumbled and gave Shiro's neck a particularly hard bite. He was mildly annoyed by the situation as a whole, but he wasn't mad. He was annoyed with Lance for being so delectable, he was annoyed with Shiro for knowing everything and he was annoyed with himself for wanting Lance. Lance was annoying and irritating and way too bright and optimistic. And kind and sweet and pretty. Keith wasn't an idiot; he knew he had wanted Lance for a while now. He just... tried not to want Lance. Which seemed to get harder the more time passed. It was the reason he had actively persuaded Shiro, because he had hoped that if he'd have this perfect boyfriend, then his irrational and irritating feelings for Lance would just pass. They, quite obviously, didn't.

"So you... want to... add him?", grumbled Keith against Shiro's neck. "To our relationship."

"If that's something you'd want too", whispered Shiro gently.

He tenderly grasped Keith to adjust him so he could look deep into those blue-gray eyes. Keith glared and blushed and glared some more. In the end, he nodded slowly, eyes fixed on Shiro's collarbone. Shiro grinned broadly at how cute his emotionally constipated boyfriend was. Now all they needed to do was somehow make Lance realize they wanted him in their relationship.

/break\

They had just toured Tokyo after visiting the Asian camp for Graeco-Roman demigods. It had been exhausting. There had been a lot of sushi and also spending a small fortune on getting themselves kimonos fitted, just because. Well, mainly because Lance used the kitten-eyes on them and convinced them one by one that it was an awesome idea. After Shiro saw him in his blue kimono, he had to agree that it was a good idea. Considering they had the kimonos, they looked up the next summer festival and set sails for it. During the summer festival, Shiro and Keith did their best to be around Lance and be nice to Lance, in a lame and belated attempt to woo him. All it actually did was freak Lance out. Granted, it had been very funny to watch the fire-bender try to catch a goldfish for Lance. Pidge and Allura were in the middle of forcing Matt into winning stuffed animals for them, while Hunk had a major stomachache from all the food he had already tried.

"We're going to accompany Hunk back to the ship", sighed Allura, hugging her plush-bear.

"Oh", muttered Lance with a look at his best friend. "Yeah... Yeah, we should..."

Everyone knew that Lance had been very much looking forward to the fireworks. Matt smiled amused at the boy from where he was supporting Hunk. Allura all the while turned to stare pointedly at Shiro, trying to convey a message with looks. Shiro blushed as he understood.

"Oh, you could stay. I mean, Hunk doesn't need six people fawning over him", offered Pidge in a far too chipper voice before he turned toward Keith and Shiro. "You two could stay here with Lance so at least _someone_ gets to enjoy the fireworks, right? Since me, Allura and Matt are best qualified for medical aid, it makes most sense, doesn't it?"

Keith and Shiro exchanged a long look before both stared at the mischievously grinning blonde girl. There was no way she was just being nice; she also wanted to see the fireworks. She was setting them up. With Lance. Why would she do that, unless... Keith's eyes widened comically. Unless she knew something they didn't. About Lance and what Lance might want. Keith turned his head to stare at Lance intensely. Lance, in his blue dolphin-pattern kimono, looking ridiculously pretty and cute. His azure-blue eyes sparkled at the prospect of not missing out on the fireworks. He had been watching way too many animes with his dad over the years and had always wanted to see such a summer fest himself. He turned to smile hopefully at Shiro, making Shiro's heart flutter warmly.

It really had been an impossible choice for Shiro – between Keith and Lance. They were like day and night, Keith so dark and mysterious and Lance so bright and warm, they were so different and yet both so enchanting. When Keith had confessed to Shiro, Shiro thought that was it. His moon had chosen him and the sun was setting. Back then, he had thought it was because Keith wanted Shiro and not Lance, not that Keith was too stubborn and proud to admit he wanted Lance. Sometimes, Shiro wondered if Keith would have ever fallen in love with Shiro if he'd have had the guts to be with Lance. Then again, Shiro preferred the current situation far more – being with Keith and loving Keith and maybe, just maybe, also getting Lance. That'd make things perfect.

"If you'd like, Lance", offered Shiro with a gentle smile, laying one arm around Lance's waist.

"Like we could leave _you_ on your own anyway", muttered Keith with his usual glare.

Shiro rolled his eyes and wondered how they'd ever manage to get Lance if Keith kept being a dick about it. Glaring at his fluffy-haired boyfriend, Shiro laid his other arm around Keith's waist and pulled him closer, with a rather firm grip to convey his displeasure. Keith mumbled beneath his breath as he turned to lead the trio away while Pidge waved them off in a too happy mood.

For a while, the three of them just continued touring the summer festival, eating more and winning more prizes. Much to Lance's surprise and embarrassment, he was the one ending up with all the winnings piled up on him and they kept buying everything Lance wanted to eat. It was _very_ suspicious. Not unwelcomed, but definitely suspicious.

"I am so full", groaned Lance pleased as he collapsed on the soft grass on a hill. "Now all that'd still fit in would probably be some shaved ice... they did have blue ones..."

He was staring up into the starry night-sky. So maybe he was being cheeky here, but he had to test his theory. And when Keith actually got up and said he'd get them all a round of shaved ice, Lance had the confirmation he needed. Raising both his eyebrows, Lance turned his head toward Shiro, who was just sitting down next to him. A slight blush lit up Lance's face as he marveled at how cute and handsome Shiro looked in his black kimono with the Pikachu pattern (something Pidge had suggested considering that Shiro was a son of Zeus). Shiro smiled down at Lance and gently grasped Lance's shoulders to adjust him so the son of Neptune was laying with his head in Shiro's lap, which only made the blush brighten up even more. With a slight movement of Shiro's hand did he cause the breeze to pick up and play with the nearby wind-chimes to cause a calming sound.

"I don't know what you said to Keith, but you didn't have to", stated Lance softly.

Shiro looked down at him with both eyebrows raised high. "What do you mean, Lance?"

Lance hummed and closed his eyes as Shiro started running his fingers through Lance's hair. "He's been _nice_ to me all day long. And there can really only be one reason: You said something to him, because you're a nice guy, Shiro. Probably something about teamwork and us being stuck on this ship for a couple weeks and all... But you didn't have to, you know."

Shiro frowned curiously at that, fingers still carding through the soft, short hair. "Oh really?"

"You don't need to _force_ him to be nice to me", sighed Lance, eyebrows knitted in a frown. "I may be a bit oblivious – hey, stop snorting, I can hear that – but I'm not completely blind. I know Keith hates me. So just... leave him be, Shiro. It freaks me out when he's nice to me."

Shiro paused in the movement of his fingers, eyes finding a surprised Keith who nearly dropped the shaved ice he was carrying. There was hurt flashing through Keith's eyes, accompanied by actual guilt. Gritting his teeth, Keith stomped over to them and flopped down on Lance's other side.

"You really think that I hate you?", asked Keith gruffly.

Lance blinked his eyes open, cheeks dusted an embarrassed pink. "I... I mean, you do, right? You avoid me at all costs, you're annoyed whenever I do literally anything..."

Huffing, Keith shoved the ice at Lance. "I don't... _hate_ you. You just annoy me."

"Jee, that's so much better", snorted Lance and rolled his eyes pointedly.

Keith groaned, clearly frustrated by the whole situation. Shiro took his own shaved-ice and leaned back, decidedly leaving this whole mess to Keith. He had caused it, after all. And Shiro conveyed as much with a gesture and a glance. Keith glared at Shiro and crossed his arms stubbornly.

"...You annoy me, but... that doesn't mean I... don't like you", muttered Keith embarrassed.

That got Lance's attention. Giving his ice a lick, Lance sat up and crossed his legs. "So you like me then? ...How come you're always such a jerk about like everything I do?"

"Because you infuriate me", sighed Keith frustrated, tilting his head back. "You... challenge me like no one else. And sure, you annoy me, but... I _kind of_ like your annoying little ticks. I like you. A lot. A lot more than I'd like to acknowledge. I... _like_ you."

He looked up to stare deeply into Lance's eyes, hoping the son of Neptune would for once catch on without Keith having to explicitly say _it_. Lance was gaping at him like a fish though, so Keith wasn't too optimistic. That was when the fireworks went off. They had chosen a hill that had been recommended by one of the locals as a 'special, romantic place to enjoy the fireworks' (at least Shiro had gotten it recommended like that; he had dropped the romantic when translating it to the other two). Lance jumped slightly at the unexpected sound, head snapping up to stare at the beautiful colors exploding in the night-sky. Shiro sat up and lad an arm around Lance's waist, pulling him closer so he could whisper into Lance's ear, causing the younger demigod to shudder.

"Keith doesn't hate you. Very much the contrary, actually", whispered Shiro gently.

"...But the opposite of hate...", drawled Lance confused, trying to focus on the fireworks.

"Gods damn it, di Angelo, try catching on!", groaned Keith irritated and grabbed Lance's collar.

Lance yelped softly as he was pulled forward and into a harsh kiss. He stared wide-eyed into Keith's eyes until the son of Ares closed his eyes and licked nearly gently over Lance's lips. A shudder wrecked Lance's body as Shiro wrapped his arms around Lance's waist from behind. Carefully, Lance opened his mouth and allowed Keith entrance. From there on out, gentleness was out the window as the fire-bender expressed all the suppressed want of years. Lance whimpered softly into the passionate kiss as Keith rested his hands on Lance's chest and pushed him back against Shiro. Shiro more than willingly accepted Lance and pulled him closer, until the Latino was properly sitting on Shiro's lap. All around them, the fireworks were still going off.

"W—What...", gasped Lance breathlessly as they parted. "What..."

Keith's eyes darkened as he looked at Lance. Lips swollen and red, cheeks flustered, eyes half-lid, chest heaving with the soft panting. Gods damn it, Keith could feel himself hardening and he had the strong urge to just pin Lance down and fuck him right here, out in the open and on Shiro's lap.

"I love you and it annoyed me to no end that I loved you", growled Keith irritated, leaning in to nibble and bite Lance's neck which was willingly bared to him. "Because you're irritating and annoying and always so loud and cheerful and suffocating with your affectionate nature."

"...Shiro?", whimpered Lance a little helplessly while Keith was busy sucking a hickey on Lance. "I'm getting some _very_ mixed and confusing signals here. Translate...?"

"You two are... as different as night and day", whispered Shiro, gently kissing the other side of Lance's neck, pushing the kimono out of the way some. "Which makes you such an intense combination. Keith thought that was why it'd be better for you two to stay as far away from each other as possible. I think that's what'd make you two... amazing. But I think that it was you giving him the final push a few days ago when you were very... vocally masturbating."

Lance's eyes widened comically and his blush lit up to a dark tomato-shade. "Y—You h—heard. Of course you did. I could hear you too after all... Wait, what? Me masturbating pushed Keith over the edge?! H—How is that a thing? Oi, Keith, use your mouth for words for a moment!"

"I'd prefer to use my mouth for... other things", drawled Keith darkly as he looked up at Lance with pure hunger in his eyes. "I just... always pushed those feelings down, telling myself you'd be as annoying and loud and babbly in bed and in a relationship too. But... you make _cute_ sounds. Small sounds. Interesting sounds. I'd like to hear them. To see what you look like when you make them. I'm curious to see if you'd finally be calm and quiet once you're properly and thoroughly _fucked_."

Shiro chuckled amused as he watched Lance's blush turn darker and darker, at least until Lance frowned confused once more. "So... is this like... a one-night-stand-invitation...?"

Keith groaned frustrated and bit down hard on Lance's neck, making the Latino whimper once more. "You're a moron. Did you even listen to a word I said before...?"

"You mean more like what Shiro said ", challenged Lance with a slight glare. "What am I supposed to think if you can't even say _it_ like it's something poisonous..."

Keith gritted his teeth as he countered Lance's glare. That was why Lance annoyed him so much and why he thought he'd never be happy with Lance – because Lance kept pushing and pushing, not understanding any cues he got about shutting the hell up or catching on with something on his own. But ever since Shiro had been pushing the idea of Lance as part of their relationship, Keith had _tried_ to see it from another perspective. That okay, so maybe Lance pushing and prodding was what led to Keith having any social life at all and any friends at all. And okay, so maybe he was a stronger fighter thanks to Lance's constant challenges.

"I _love_ you, you annoying, irritating, nagging loudmouth", grunted Keith irritated. "I love you, because I think you might... make me a better person simply by being in my life. And even though you annoy the hell out of me, I think it would be boring without those annoying antics of yours. I want you to be _mine_. Well, ours. Obviously. Shiro is still here too, after all."

Lance stared at him with impossibly large blue eyes, blinking repeatedly. "...Okay."

"Okay? That's... That's all you have to say to that?!", groaned Keith frustrated.

Now the slightly dazed expression on Lance's face made way for an angry one. "Well, what _am_ I supposed to say to _that_? You say you love me, but you can't even say that without insulting me. What? Am I supposed to drop onto my knees and thank you for loving me and _still_ treating me like I'm a moron and annoyance?!" Lance struggled to get up and when Shiro reached out to help Lance, the son of Neptune actually slapped the helping hand away before turning to direct his glare at Shiro. "And you. You're just... sitting there, biting my neck like I'm some kind of candy, not saying _anything at all_. What the quiznak am I supposed to make of _that_?!"

His fists were shaking at his sides as he glared heatedly at both other demigods. The lake at the hill's feet – the centerpiece of the summer-festival – rose high behind Lance, looming threateningly toward Shiro and Keith. Both stared at it over Lance's shoulders, eyes wide in surprise.

"I know I don't have the highest self-esteem in the world, but even I know I deserve better than someone who either can't just say nice things about me, or who can't say anything at all."

With that said, the giant wave crashed back down and Lance stormed off toward Voltron to get back onto their flying ship. He was just so _angry_. Part of him had really, really wanted this. Had been euphoric and excited because the two boys he liked were paying attention to him. Part of him just wanted to soak it all up and give Shiro and Keith anything they could want in thanks for the attention he was getting. But his dad's words rang loud and clear in his mind. Percy had always taught Lance that the only people who deserved _his_ attention and love were the ones that earned it. As someone who had been the gods' lapdog for years, Percy never wanted for Lance to be pushed around or used by others. So as hard as it was for him – because he did have some self-esteem issues – he wanted to listen to his dad's advise. He didn't want to just be some kind of one-night-stand for Shiro and Keith because they somehow seemed to want him.

"Someone's back early. Where are Keith and Shi...", started Pidge in a teasing, chipper voice.

Her sentence died down as she saw the untypically angry look on Lance's face as he just stomped past her once he had climbed the ladder up to the ship. He went straight to the kitchen, where he ignored Matt and Allura sitting at the table, took out the biggest glass-bowl they had and filled it with water. He saw them looking at him doubtfully but he did not care to explain anything to anyone. Not that he knew how to even explain it. Carrying the bowl of water, he went to his cabin and kicked the door closed harshly. Once inside his room, he put the bowl down onto his nightstand and then took the little plastic-bag with the goldfish Keith had won for him. Carefully opening it, he emptied it into the bowl. The little fish swam a fast circle to inspect the space he now had.

" _Thank you, my prince._ "

"No problem", mumbled Lance as he flopped down on his bed, facing the bowl. "I'm Lance."

It always freaked Lance out when sea-creatures or horses called him a prince. Sure, he knew that theoretically speaking, he was a prince because his biological father was the king of the ocean, but still. The fish turned to face Lance, tilting his body curiously.

" _I am George_ ", replied the fish. " _Are you alright, Prince Lance? You were very... upset._ "

"Am", corrected Lance with a pout, reaching out to grab Azul and hug the fluffy blue lion to his chest as he curled together around it. "I am very upset."

" _You should tell your father. He would not approve of the incompetent courting_ ", advised George.

Lance flushed a bright red at the suggestion. "...My father doesn't really care that much about that. Me. Well, I mean, he's an important god. Doesn't have time for stuff like that. But my dad and my papà, they'd... heh, they'd probably frighten Keith and Shiro to the underworld and back..." George hummed and swam a couple of circles as he patiently listened to Lance while Lance sorted his thoughts out vocally. "I mean, I've had a crush on Shiro for like ten years. Okay, not really, but you know what I mean, right? He's always been my hero, I've always looked up to him. Sure, that kinda shifted into something more serious during puberty and stuff, right? And okay, so _maybe_ I was too oblivious to notice that I actually really... liked Keith, because I was always focused on liking Shiro. Like, I didn't notice it because it was so obvious I liked Shiro. But now that I know, uh, I mean that I noticed, I just... I wonder why. I mean, am I that much of a masochist that I like a guy who can't even be nice to me for five straight minutes? He's... He's not a bad guy. He's very nice and caring, even though he tries to hide it. And he's very strong. Like, seriously. Such a precise fighter. When I think about the way he controls his fire, I... get all warm and tingly, you know? I always thought that was kinda just... excitement because there aren't really many other elementals, right? But now I know it's... way more. Like, really way more. I like them both. I... might... love them both."

" _But the problem is that they seem unable to communicate?_ ", inquired George gently.

"Yeah", muttered Lance upset. "Like, seriously. Kissing does not substitute for words. Especially not if the couple words Keith has to say also include insults. Stupid mullet-head." Lance huffed softly and buried his nose in Azul's fur. "I... I know I'm annoying and loud and a burden because I'm not as strong a fighter like Shiro or Keith or Hunk, or even Matt. I... know I'm not... the brightest. I know I can get obnoxious with my behavior, b—but I just... I _try_ , you know? I try being bright and cheerful so I don't bother others with my stupid problems and worries. So instead I bother them with my stupid cheerfulness. Sometimes... I already feel like I just can't do anything right... I—I don't need a boyfriend who reminds me of my own failures and that I'm not good enough..."

"T—That... That is not what I... what I meant to make you feel like."

Blinking slowly, Lance turned to look at his doorway where Keith and Shiro were standing. Both were staring at him in genuine shock and with something like... hurt... written all over their faces. Lance frowned and sat up, hugging Azul even closer to his chest.

"Get out of my room. Never heard of knocking?", mumbled Lance upset.

Shiro walked over to the bed and knelt down in front of Lance. He reached out with his human hand and gently cupped Lance's cheek, tilting his head some. Lance frowned at the pained expression on Shiro's face. Keith still stood in the doorway like a dumb statue.

"I'm sorry", whispered Shiro in a soft voice. "You're right. I should have spoken up. I was just... so drawn into the moment. You and Keith together are so beautiful." Shiro paused, running his thumb gently over Lance's cheek. "I love you, Lance. I love you very much. I love your kind, caring nature. I love your cheerful, bright attitude. I love you. I shouldn't have pushed it all on Keith, considering this is a three-way-deal. I should have added my own two cents."

Lance nodded weakly, staring deep into Shiro's eyes. He wasn't quite sure about how to proceed from here on out. They weren't supposed to follow him. Shiro – amazing, perfect, kinder-than-possible Shiro – was not supposed to _love_ him. Much less to say it. Or apologize. Lance wasn't used to people apologizing to him. Most expected him to be the one to apologize.

Lance jumped startled when Keith wrapped his arms around him from behind. When had the stupid fire-bender even gotten onto Lance's bed, much less behind him...? Frowning, Lance turned some to look at Keith doubtfully. Keith looked genuinely worried, which was a bit weird.

"I'm... only saying things to rattle you. I didn't... didn't expect you to... take them to heart", whispered Keith, voice dark and gruff, muffled by Lance's neck as Keith nosed it. "I don't want _you_ to think those things. You're supposed to be happy and goofy, not... upset and sad. I'm sorry."

"Did the great Keith just apologize?", snorted Lance in a weak joke.

"Yes, I did", whispered Keith gently, not the least bit of the usual snark or sarcasm to his words. "I'm sorry. You're... You make me laugh, even when I'm actively trying to be irritated. You make me worry for you whenever you manage to get yourself thrown into danger. You _do_ make me a better person, better fighter. I... I... enjoy training with you and maybe even... hanging out with you and Hunk and Pidge. And most of all, I love you. I really do."

Lance stared wide-eyed, blinking repeatedly. Keith had said a lot of nice things, without a single insult in them. And he still looked honest and genuinely apologetic as he looked at Lance.

"...So... what do you _want_ from me?", whispered Lance, looking from one to the other.

"You", stated Keith simply, adjusting Lance so the son of Neptune was actually facing Keith now. "We want you. As our boyfriend. So we can... love you. Together."

Shiro smiled a little bit as he looked at his emotionally constipated boyfriend putting his feelings to actual words. "Yes, Lance. We want you. We want to love you and to be the ones to show you that you're... very amazing and lovable and that _we_ don't think what... you seem to think about yourself."

Lance blushed brightly. Gently, Shiro tilted Lance's head back to look at the son of Zeus. And then Shiro's face was coming closer and closer, until their lips actually met, in a soft and loving kiss. Lance gasped into the kiss, practically melting in Shiro's arms. It made the older boy grin amused, strong arms holding Lance safely while Lance was too busy turning into Shiro-kissed-me-goo. Lance was panting hard by the time their kiss broke, eyes dazed and crossed as he stared up at Shiro like the older demigod had hung the sun and moon. That look made Shiro blush darkly, because it made him feel proud and accomplished and like he was the greatest hero in history or something.

"You really do make the prettiest faces", hummed Keith softly.

Lance's blush lit up once more at that as he turned to glare at Keith. The glare melted into confusion when he saw that there was no sarcastic or teasing look on his face. No trace of mocking. That only confused Lance even more, but before he could dwell on it, Keith kissed him. This time slower and with more feelings than the purely passionate one from before on the hill.

"Now, what do _you_ say?", asked Shiro, voice gentle but also with an edge of firmness.

It took Lance a few moments to gather his thoughts after those two kisses. Only slowly did his eyes regain focus and he realized where he was and what the question at hand was. Tilting his head, Lance looked from Shiro to Keith and back again.

"...I love you both", stated Lance as he sat up straight. "I... I'd like to be with both of you."

"Good", hummed Keith pleased and pulled Lance close again. "So that's settled. You're ours. And... we'll show you that we... care about you."

Lance hid his dopey smile in Azul's fur as he pulled his stuffed toy close again. Shiro chuckled as he saw that, before he joined the other two in the slightly too small bed. It was quite the tight squeeze, but at least that also meant proper cuddles. The dopey smile grew as Lance snuggled up to his new boyfriends. Shiro had them both curled together on his chest and Keith was attached to Lance from behind, nose buried in Lance's hair as he clung onto Lance. That... Lance could get used to.

/break\

Nico wasn't sure if he really would have agreed to sent his son onto a quest all over the world if the consequences were for Lance to return with two boyfriends. Percy liked to make fun of him about it, but Nico just couldn't help it. Boyfriends _corrupted_. Like Frank and Leo had done with his precious baby-sister. And the gods knew how much Nico had corrupted Percy.

Of course, there had to be some ground-rules once Voltron brought the seven demigods back from their little quest. It had been really more of a fun little thing that Nico's generation had thought up for their kids. There weren't many big quests anymore, they were in a phase of peace. So why not send them out for a fun little adventure? That aside, good ties to the other cities and camps really _were_ practical for them on the long-run.

"No closed doors when one of your boyfriends is over. No funny business while we're here. I _know_ we won't be able to control what you do while we're gone, but for the love of it, if I have to walk in on you with either of them, I will personally escort them to a private room in Tartarus."

Percy was grinning very amused as he sat on the couch and watched his husband pace and his son blush. Mrs. O'Leary lazily lifted her head from where she was laying on the ground in front of Percy, getting her head patted every now and again. Small Bob, curled together on Lance's lap, meowed in agreement. Well, the supernatural dead cat probably did not appreciate the idea or walking in on one of his humans mating either. Percy blushed at some peculiar memories of being berated by Blackjack for making out with Nico in the stables.

"Yes, papà, I promise", sighed Lance embarrassed.

"Good. Now, the important questions", grunted Nico sternly. "Are they treating you right? Because if not, I promise you I have some plans that'd make a private room in Tartarus look like vacation."

Lance's embarrassment and blush intensified even more. "...They're... I... Yeah."

"That didn't sound very convincing", noted Percy suspiciously.

"I'm still getting used to this", sighed Lance, hiding his face in his hands. "The... having boyfriends thing. They were like around me all the time on the ship and took me out to fancy dates in Sidney."

They had started their tour going from North America to South America, continuing on over Africa to Europe and Asia – where in Tokyo they had gotten together – and concluding it in Australia. With only one continent and stop left on their tour, Shiro and Keith had gone all out in trying to, in lack of a better word, woo Lance. Which had made Lance blush nearly constantly. Which, in return, had made Shiro and – still freaked out about that – Keith remark _a lot_ about how cute Lance was when he blush. Which, obviously, made Lance only blush harder.

"Mh. So no threatening for now", nodded Nico, looking very pleased.

"Let's just keep it that way", chimed Percy with a bright smile.

/break\

"Why did you tell them?! We literally landed not even two days ago!"

Lance frowned confused as he watched Keith pace and listened to him rant. Shiro too had a constipated look on his face as he groaned and leaned back against the wall. They were at Shiro's place because Shiro was a college-student and didn't live at home anymore which meant no parental watch-dogs (only a groaning Matt who instantly cleared out when he saw who rang the doorbell).

"...They're my _parents_. You may be fine with lying to your parents because you're not so 'touchy-feely' about stuff, but... me and my dad, we share like everything. I don't... I'm not ashamed or anything, so... why... should I hide it?", asked Lance.

Shiro looked at Lance and sighed. "We're not... We're not lying because we're ashamed of dating each other, or of dating you. That's not it, Lance, really."

"You're just too big cowards to tell your parents?", inquired Lance, both eyebrows raised.

Huffing, Keith walked up to him and grasped Lance by the neck to pull him into a kiss. It was the best way to shut Lance up _and_ to stop Keith from making any possibly insulting comments. Shiro chuckled gently as he leaned back and watched them. It had become one of his favorite pastimes. Oh yes, he _very much_ enjoyed kissing and touching Keith and Lance himself, but it was just very enjoyable to watch Keith and Lance together. They were such a gorgeous contrast and to see the often rather ruff Keith be all gentle and careful with Lance and to see the normally so loud and competitive Lance willingly back down and comply like that.

"I will tell my parents. I love you, both of you", stated Shiro simply. "And then I'll hope your parents aren't going to kill me, or grill me, or both..."

Both his boyfriends grinned and turned to him, each kissing one of Shiro's cheeks. Shiro huffed at that. They thought it was funny that Shiro was afraid of their parents. But they were seventeen, Shiro was twenty-two. Lance's father was the scary prince of the underworld. Keith's mother was the scariest daughter of war in history. He had every right to be frightened.

/break\

Keith huffed annoyed as he watched Lance. The son of Neptune was looking around the room in total awe. Such a ridiculous little nerd. Then again, Lance had brown kitten-ears and a bushy kitten-tail as he investigated Keith's room, so there was no way Keith was complaining about literally anything. When Lance had declared he wanted to dress up as a catboy, his aunt Hazel had supplied the needed magic to give the costume a very real touch. Keith shuddered as the soft-furred tail brushed his arm when Lance sat down on Keith's bed. When Keith had opened the door to his boyfriend picking him up for Hunk's Halloween-party, Keith had _not_ been expecting what he got. Lance was insanely hot with the tail and the ears and that additionally cat-like behavior, so all Keith could do was stand back and watch in awe while Lance started exploring.

"Aw, big, bad, oh-so mature Keith still sleeps with a stuffed toy", chimed Lance teasingly.

He flopped down onto his side and grabbed the red lion plush-toy that sat in the corner of Keith's bed. Keith's cheeks turned dark-red and he had to reign in his control to not catch fire in embarrassment, because yes, he was mature. He did not do childish things.

"...It's because I got it from you. Oh, do shut up", grunted Keith irritated when he saw the smug grin on Lance's face. "And will you _stop_ moving around like that?!"

Lance frowned confused where he was curling together and baring his stomach to Keith. "Oh. Uh. Yeah. Cat-genes. Make me lazier and... I dunno. Anyway, go and get changed while I explore."

"Why _are_ you crawling around my room like a, well, a cat?", asked Keith confused.

He turned toward his closet and grabbed the cape and fake-fangs he had already laying around for his costume. "Well, it's my first time in your room. I've never been here before. It's exciting."

"That can't be...", started Keith weakly, frowning while getting changed.

"You never invited me over", countered Lance, one eyebrow raised as he continued to look around. "It's always been me, forcing you over to my place, or we met at Hunk's."

Keith's frown deepened as he finished changing and then walked over to sit down between Lance's legs, reaching out to grasp Lance's face. "Well... that... changes now. You can come over whenever you want, how often you want. Okay?"

Lance looked pleased by that and leaned into the caress until he even got a kiss from Keith. Tonight, it would only be the two of them. Because Shiro, Allura and Matt were on some college party. And even though Lance and Keith _could_ sneak in, in the end their parents would learn the truth because their community was a small and tight-knitted one. Better not risk that. Besides, a party at Hunk's with their class was far more their own pace. Even though Lance was still having a problem with this particular aspect of being in a threeway-relationship. Sometimes, Shiro and Keith would go on a date with each other, without Lance, making Lance feel left out but he didn't dare to speak up. And then Shiro had taken Lance out on a fancy date while Keith spent the day training with Clarisse and Lance had felt guilty about leaving Keith out. Keith grunted into the kiss before parting.

"Stop being distracted while I'm kissing you", ordered Keith irritated.

"Sorry. I just...", sighed Lance frustrated, ears flat against his head. "I feel bad about... not including Shiro. I don't... I'm still trying to get adjusted to this... this whole having _two_ boyfriends thing."

It only took a moment for Keith to figure it out. "...You didn't like me and Shiro going to the movies without you last week either, did you, Lance? Why didn't you _say_ something?"

Lance shrugged awkwardly, blushing a bit. "I don't want to be the stupid third wheel..."

"It's not... stupid", sighed Keith and tilted Lance's face to kiss him gently. "This whole thing is still new for you, while Shiro and I have been dating for months. But... Shiro and I aren't going to suddenly realize that we're having more fun without you and Shiro and I trust each other enough to know he won't drop me for you, or that I would drop him for you. But we also can't... we can't always sit on each other. We _have_ to trust each other enough to do things one on one, Lance."

Lance heaved a sigh and nodded. In the end, Keith was right. They really couldn't and Lance knew from Frank, Hazel and Leo that it could only work with trust. And Lance wanted to trust them, he was trying. It was just still too new, so Lance needed some more time to adjust.

"You're right. But we should get going, Hunk and Pidge are probably already waiting", said Lance.

"Wait a second. Just one finishing touch", stated Keith firmly before he got up and got something out of his nightstand. He knelt down behind Lance and laid it around his neck. "There you go. A kitten does need a collar, or else someone's gonna mistake you for a stray."

Lance blushed _furiously_ as he turned to look into Keith's large mirror to see one of Keith's black leather-collars around his neck. Keith had a lot of them, with studs and spikes and whatnot. This one had silver studs on it and was very obviously Keith's. Everyone in their class knew Keith was the only one in their class to own those, he's generally wearing three or five, overlaying and loose. But this was very snugly laying against Lance's throat; not too tight but tight enough to be noticed.

"B—But everyone knows those things are like _yours_ ", stuttered Lance embarrassed.

"Yes", purred Keith pleased, nibbling on Lance's earlobe, arms around Lance's waist to grope his ass. "And that means everyone will know that _this_ is like... _mine_."

It was actually physically possible for Lance to blush even darker; Keith was fascinated to watch it. Then Lance groaned, clearly frustrated and embarrassed, as he hid his forehead against Keith's shoulder. Keith smiled amused and ran his hands up Lance's spine in comfort. It was way too much fun to tease Lance, especially considering they weren't having sex yet. Which Keith was _totally_ okay with. No pressure. Their relationship was still new and Lance was a virgin and needed more time to adjust to everything – that was totally fine. But that didn't mean Keith didn't want it. Badly.

"C'mon, let's head to the party", whispered Keith, kissing Lance's temple.

/break\

Clarisse was watching them like a hawk, without them noticing. She was in her office, together with Percy. Sadly, owning a dojo meant to also do paperwork. Percy was rather busy pouting and sometimes whining while Clarisse kept her eyes trained on the outside of their glass-walls. The plus-side of knowing two kids of Athena? They did some mean architectural designs. Their office was in a cubical on the second floor, with large window-fronts on all sides for them to oversee the downstairs where the training rooms were. In one of those training rooms, Shiro and Lance were currently training one-on-one. Lightning versus water. Clarisse was watching them with the interest of a child of war, always fascinated by a good fight. But she was also watching them as Keith's mother. Those two _brats_ were her little boy's boyfriends. Shiro was a good sparring-partner; he had this way of correcting his partner's mistakes while still praising them and making them feel accomplished. That was why Clarisse had hired him as a part-time-trainer when he had entered college. He was happy to work there, though Clarisse guessed he was not too happy to work for his boyfriend's mother. Both his boyfriends' mothers, corrected Clarisse with a look at Percy.

"You just thought something mean about me", accused Percy with one raised eyebrow. "I know that look. What did you think? Also, what are you watching over there?"

He got up from his desk and walked over to hers to sit on it, making Clarisse glare. A bright smile lit up Percy's face. One that normally made Clarisse roll her eyes, but she couldn't fault him; she knew what motherly pride felt like. Percy positively beamed and oozed pride as he watched Lance.

"Look at my boy go!", exclaimed Percy excitedly, hitting Clarisse's upper arm as he pointed at how Lance managed to knock Lance off his feet. "Aw, my baby's so strong and grown-up."

Clarisse chuckled, borderline fondly. Then things got a bit awkward as Shiro managed to pin Lance down and it turned into a short make-out-session. Percy blushed and turned away from the window. Clarisse wasn't so sure about this whole threeway-thing for her boy; Keith barely tolerated one person around him, but having two lovers? She blinked and looked up as the door to their office opened and Chris and Keith walked in. Clarisse had waited for her boys to come and pick her up for lunch-break. Keith smiled as he walked over to hug his mom and greet his uncle Percy. Though after the hugging, he paused and made a _very_ appreciative noise as he looked out the window to see his boyfriends heatedly make out. Clarisse snorted at that. At least Keith wasn't jealous.

"Ew. Do those boys know that the walls are made of glass...?", commented Chris a bit amused. "Kei, you're still going to have lunch with me and your mother, not skip on us for dessert, right?"

Keith's ears caught a little fire – something that made Chris feel very accomplished, because Keith had such a good grip on his control that making him catch fire was very rare. Huffing agitated, Keith glared rather gravely at his father. Clarisse chuckled amused, used to these things.

"For one, today is their day. Shiro has plans with Lance. And I told them I had plans with my parents, regardless of how insufferable my father is", stated Keith calmly.

Chris laughed and wrapped one arm around his son's shoulders. "Oh, don't always be so serious, kiddo. Well, we'll bring Clarisse back later, Perce, see you around."

With that, the Rodriguez-family headed out of the office, leaving Percy to heavily ignore Lance and Shiro in the training-room beneath them. Maybe he should call his own husband and get out too...

/break\

It was the second day of Christmas when Shiro came home from dinner with his parents, to be greeted by quite the sight. He blinked at the scene on his bed. There was mistletoe hanging over his bed and Keith and Lance were heatedly making out beneath said mistletoe. Both had already lost their shirts and hands were roaming delicious bodies greedily. It went straight to Shiro's groin.

"...Well, that's exactly what I wished for, thanks Santa", drawled Shiro slowly.

Keith reluctantly parted from his kiss with Lance to look up at Shiro with dark eyes. "He called me here and when he was opening the door, he was wearing _this_ and _that_."

First, Keith held up Shiro's black hoodie. Something that Lance had blatantly stolen about two weeks ago, when they had been at the lake late to watch stars and Lance had been shuddering a lot, so Shiro had given him his hoodie. The thing was way oversized for Lance and looked too adorable on the Latino for Shiro to demand it back. Secondly, Keith motioned at the black leather-collar around Lance's neck. That one, Lance had just kept after Halloween and he was still occasionally wearing it. Mostly when he wanted to tease his boyfriends, because seeing Lance with the collar always did _things_ to both Shiro and Keith. In fact, seeing both his boyfriends shirtless on his bed, Lance with a very excited blush and the collar on – it went straight to Shiro's groin.

"What did I do to earn this nice surprise?", asked Shiro curiously as he walked over to the bed.

Keith grasped his shirt and pulled him down into a heated kiss, one that subtly hinted at just how long Keith and Lance must have already been here, making out. Shiro frowned a little at that. They had no problem with Lance not being ready for sex, but sometimes that boy worked both Shiro and Keith into such a nasty case of blue-balls, it wasn't funny anymore.

"Lance, what did I tell you about teasing?", hummed Shiro half-chidingly.

He ran his fingers down Lance's chest and then grasped his hip to pull him closer into a kiss of their own, leaving Lance panting softly. "I'm not... teasing. I'm getting the engine running."

Keith huffed with a pointed glare before he grabbed the hoodie he had pulled off of Lance about ten minutes ago, shaking it out – and causing lube and condoms to fall out of the front-pocket. Shiro sputtered and flushed scarlet before he turned to stare at Lance surprised. The younger boy started shifting a little, his own blush matching Shiro's as he slowly grew nervous.

"I thought, I mean... We've been dating for five months now and I... You two aren't the only ones with blue-balls, you know?", muttered Lance, ruffling his own hair and ducking his head a little. "I just... I wasn't sure... I mean, if... I'm not... But I want to... so, if you can... I mean... Argh."

Groaning frustrated because he couldn't put his thoughts to words, Lance leaned forward to bury his face in Shiro's pullover (an ugly monstrosity that Jason had knitted for his son, all proud and happy, that dork). Sneaky fingers grasped said pullover and pulled it over Shiro's head to throw it into a corner of the room. Shiro raised his eyebrows as he watched a wickedly smirking Keith as the son of Ares slowly undressed Shiro, lips trailing down Shiro's chest and sixpack while doing so. Lance made a squeaky sound as he watched from the headboard of the bed. The squeaky sound turned a lot more high-pitched as Keith finished undressing Shiro and then turned to also undress Lance. Lance gasped as Keith nibbled on his hipbone while pulling jeans and boxers off of the Latino. Though both Shiro and Keith paused and snorted when they saw the mistletoe on Lance's briefs.

"You _sure_ about this?", asked Shiro firmly while gathering the condoms and lube from the floor.

"Yeah", replied Lance, locking eyes with Shiro over Keith's back. "Really, Shiro. I... want this. You. I want you both. Like... uh... I mean... _both_. At the... same time...?"

Keith's head snapped up so fast, Shiro feared he'd break his neck. Lance was a bit startled before he got kissed and left dazed. Then Shiro took over and adjusted them both so Lance was kneeling in front of Shiro. Keith more than willingly knelt down in front of Lance's hard cock.

"There was a mistletoe, wasn't there?", whispered Keith, voice dark. "Want me to kiss it?"

Lance made a different squeaky sound, one that sounded very desperate. Keith snorted at it before wrapping his lips around Lance's cock. Lance gasped breathlessly, fingers clawing into Keith's long hair. Shiro all the while lubed his fingers up and then started gently and slowly prepping Lance. Lance was torn between moaning and whining as he was being fingered and sucked off by the two most amazing guys on this entire planet. Once Shiro found Lance's prostate, the Latino didn't even last another second. He was very embarrassed about how shortly he had lasted, but then again he had never gotten head before. Keith smirked smugly up at him, licking a drop of cum off his lips.

"You sound _really_ wanton when you come, kitten", teased Keith amused.

Lance was already flushed from the orgasm, but it took a darker turn at the nickname. Something that had stuck ever since Halloween and that embarrassed and pleased Lance to equal parts. Shiro slowly pulled his fingers out and grasped Lance by the hips in a secure grip when lining up with the tight, hot hole. Shiro carefully eased his way in, kissing along Lance's shoulders while shallowly fucking his boyfriend. The water in the glass on the desk shook and swapped over the first time Shiro hit Lance's prostate with his cock. Lance whimpered and made grabby-motions for Keith. Rolling his eyes, Keith sat up and laid Lance's arms around his neck so the son of Neptune could properly hold onto him. Once Lance was happily stuck between Keith and Shiro, Keith captured his lips in a slow, drawn-out and nearly obscene kiss. Lance thrust forward, rubbing his already half-hard again cock against Keith's, making the son of Ares groan darkly. He grasped Lance's thighs in a bruising manner at that, earning him a cute whimper from the water-bender.

"K—Kei", whined Lance, nudging his face against Keith's.

The little whine made Keith snort once more, though it also made him oblige. He lifted Lance's legs up and lined up next to Shiro, very slowly pushing in next to Shiro, making Lance whimper loudly.

"Sh. It's alright. I'm gonna take it slow, kitten", whispered Keith gently, kissing Lance.

Lance nodded slowly and took a shaky breath. Keith was being gentle and Shiro paused until Keith was all the way in, stretching Lance more than he would have ever thought possible. It got so much more intense when both started moving at once, positively driving Lance so insane, he nearly missed his own orgasm, over-sensitive after that first one already. With the way his muscles contorted around their cocks, neither Keith nor Shiro could last much longer either. After coming hard, Shiro slowly pulled out and then tied and tossed the condom before pulling both of his boyfriends up against his chest. Keith mirrored Shiro, not caring about the used condoms on the floor, more caring about the happy sleepy Lance snuggled up to them. What a merry Christmas.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here you go - the final part of my little three-days-of-Christmas-present! I hope you enjoyed it and that you had a merry Christmas ;)


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